Sarajevo/Tuzla, 31 July 2026 – The Steering Board of the BH Journalists Association strongly condemns the latest public statements by lawyer and politician Mirnes Ajanović, as well as his ongoing campaign of publicly targeting, discrediting and exerting legal pressure against journalist Anisa Mahmutović, the daily newspaper Oslobođenje, the President of the BH Journalists Association Marko Divković, and the Association’s Secretary General Borka Rudić.
Following the criminal complaints and defamation lawsuits previously filed against Anisa Mahmutović and the responsible persons within the BH Journalists Association, two days ago Ajanović filed a defamation lawsuit against Oslobođenje over the publication of a news article reporting on the outcome of a court proceeding. He has also initiated a new defamation lawsuit against journalist Mahmutović and the BH Journalists Association.
Over the past two and a half months, Ajanović and the Dokumentovano portal have published more than one hundred articles, commentaries and other inflammatory and manipulative pieces targeting journalist Anisa Mahmutović and the BH Journalists Association. They have also sent dozens of letters signed by Ajanović to domestic and international institutions. In this regard, the BH Journalists Association warns that the combination of lawsuits, public targeting, social media campaigns and attempts to undermine journalists’ professional integrity bears the hallmarks of legal intimidation commonly known as SLAPP lawsuits, whose purpose is not to establish the truth but to intimidate, exhaust and discourage reporting on matters of public interest.
The Association is particularly concerned that this camepaign constitutes a coordinated political pressure campaign against the BH Journalists Association, journalist Anisa Mahmutović and the daily newspaper Oslobođenje, given that lawyer Mirnes Ajanović is also an active politician – President of the BOSS Party, a member of the Tuzla City Council, and his party’s candidate in this year’s elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the same time, Danijel Senkić, editor and journalist of the Dokumentovano portal, is politically engaged as Deputy President of the BOSS Party and a candidate for the Assembly of the Tuzla Canton.
The Steering Board of the BH Journalists Association considers it unacceptable to use political office, public platforms and social media for the continuous targeting of journalists, media outlets and civil society organisations. Criticism of public figures is an integral part of the democratic process, while journalists should not be subjected to pressure and campaigns of discreditation because of their professional work. Consequently, the BH Journalists Association will submit a complaint to the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, requesting it to examine whether such conduct by political actors constitutes a violation of the provisions of the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rules governing election and premature election campaigning.
The Steering Board of the BH Journalists Association expresses its full support for journalist Anisa Mahmutović, the editorial team of Oslobođenje, and its own members, stressing that it will inform all international organisations working to protect freedom of expression about the ongoing legal and online harassment carried out against them by politician and lawyer Mirnes Ajanović.
The BH Journalists Association once again emphasizes that lawsuits, social media campaigns and political pressure must not be used as tools to silence journalists. The Association will continue to defend media freedom and the public’s right to information.
Steering Board of the BH Journalists Association
