The SafeJournalists Network strongly condemns the verbal threats of the President of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, to journalist Milena Mitrović of the Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN) and journalist from Oslobođenje portal, Goran Dakić, uttered at a press conference in Banja Luka on March 12.
At the press conference, CIN journalist Milena Mitrović asked Milorad Dodik what his plans were if the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a warrant against him, given that he did not respond to the invitation of this judicial institution from Sarajevo to give a statement. Dodik called such a question “politically motivated”, and called the journalist herself a “fan” and “impatient”, and tried to present her as a person who does not know the legal procedures regarding the initiation of an international manhunt for persons who did not respond to the summons of the prosecution or the court. At the same conference, the President of the RS did not allow the journalist of Oslobođenje Goran Dakić to ask him a question, saying: “It’s enough that I saw you, what are you doing here!”. In the end, Dodik called the security and ordered a security guard: “He can’t come in here anymore“, which practically banning the journalist of Oslobodjenje from entering the Palace of the Republic of Srpska.
BH Journalists Association, a member of the SafeJournalists Network, reported that during the last two weeks, 9 media outlets and 8 journalists and editors faced attacks and threats from Milorad Dodik and other political leaders of the RS.
Due to the increase in violence against the media and journalists in the RS, the president ofJournalists Association Marko Divković said that the latest attack and threats to journalists “are a continuation of the long-standing practice of impunity for crimes committed against members of an honorable and difficult profession.”
“Government at all levels, and lately especially the government in the BH entity Republika Srpska, is practicing moves and intentions in a variety of ways, which we thought were a thing of the past. This is also a consequence of the lukewarm attitude of the judicial institutions, whose inaction and lack of understanding of the essence of the problem encourage public office holders to show arrogance and arbitrariness more and more often, violating laws and democratic norms, sure that they will not be sanctioned for it,” concluded Divković.
The Network demands that the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, stop targeting and verbally attacking journalists. Public officials must answer questions from journalists reporting on topics of public interest. Journalists can’t be discriminated against and can not be prohibited from attending press conferences. The communication of RS public officials towards the media and journalists in recent days has taken on the proportions of serious security threats that can lead to the complete prevention of independent media journalists from reporting from Banja Luka and other parts of this entity.
The Safejournalists Network remains dedicated to carefully monitoring the situation in Republika Srpska and the entire country, expressing strong support and solidarity with journalists in that part of Bosnia and Herzegovina in their struggle to preserve media freedom and journalist safety.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica, March 14, 2025.
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
