Sarajevo, 3 December 2025 – The BH Journalists Association and the Free Media Help Line (FMHL) strongly condemn the verbal attack by the Mayor of Mostar, Mario Kordić, and the public targeting of journalist and co-owner of the portal Hercegovina.info, Mario Ćosić.
In a post published on his official Facebook page on 2 December, Mayor Kordić publicly accused journalist Ćosić of allegedly attempting to intentionally destabilize and obstruct the work of the city administration, creating “legal uncertainty and chaos,” and fostering an “atmosphere of lynching” against city officials. Such characterizations of journalistic work, accompanied by defamatory messages, represent an unacceptable form of open political pressure and an attempt to delegitimize professional reporting on issues of public importance.
These actions are entirely contrary to democratic standards and the principles of media freedom protection, and unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. Mayor Kordić has previously made serious and unfounded accusations against members of the Hercegovina.info editorial team, including claims of alleged extortion of investors. At the same time, the newsroom has been continuously denied access to information of public interest related to the work of the City of Mostar’s administration – from data on service contracts and public procurement procedures to information on urban planning permits – further hindering their investigative work and limiting the public’s right to objective and truthful information.
The BH Journalists Association emphasizes that critical and investigative journalism is a cornerstone of democratic society, and that such statements and actions by senior public officials constitute direct institutional pressure on the media. Instead of engaging with journalistic inquiries through transparent and open dialogue, the Mayor of Mostar, Mario Kordić, chooses to discredit and publicly attack journalists – an approach that is entirely unacceptable and harmful to democratic processes.
The Steering Committee of BH Journalists and the Free Media Help Line express full support for journalist Mario Ćosić and the Hercegovina.info editorial team, and call on domestic and international organizations dedicated to media freedom protection to register this case and monitor the further actions of city authorities. We expect the competent institutions, the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor’s Office of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, to respond urgently and protect the professional rights of journalists, as well as to sanction all forms of political pressure and intimidation.
A free and independent media landscape is essential for the functioning of a democratic society, and public officials are obliged to respect and enable the work of journalists in accordance with the Law on Freedom of Access to Information, rather than exposing them to public targeting, defamation and institutional obstacles.
Steering Committee of BH Journalists / Free Media Help Line
Foto by: Hercegovina.info
