Sarajevo/Tuzla, June 5, 2025 – The Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association and the Free Media Help Line strongly condemn the verbal threats and insults, including death threats, directed at Federal Television (FTV) journalist Dino Durmić. These threats were made via the social media platform Facebook by Melisa Butković from Živinice, the owner of a flower shop in that Bosnian town.

Butković is one of 11 individuals detained on suspicion of involvement in organized crime and drug trafficking as part of an international police operation carried out on June 3 this year in the Živinice and Banovići area. The operation was conducted by the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with the Ministries of Interior of Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia.

After being released from custody, Melisa Butković published a series of offensive and threatening messages aimed at journalist Durmić on her Facebook profile, including a threat to sue him over his reporting on the police operation, which was broadcast on FTV. The post was followed by hateful and defamatory comments about the journalist and his family, along with calls for “slapping” and “beating,” as well as an explicit death threat stating that the journalist “has a head made for a sniper.”

The Steering Committee of BH Journalists considers these threats deeply disturbing and a serious danger to the life of Dino Durmić and his family, especially given that they followed journalistic reporting on the arrest and short-term detention of individuals suspected of being involved in international criminal activities. At the same time, these threats represent a gross violation of the right to freedom of expression and a serious attack on the journalistic profession, whose duty is to report on matters of public interest, such as this police operation and the alleged commission of serious criminal acts.

The Steering Committee of BH Journalists expresses full solidarity with colleague Dino Durmić and urges the Ministry of Interior of the Tuzla Canton and the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office in Tuzla to urgently investigate the threats made and prosecute those responsible.

Photo: Facebook, Dino Durmić

The Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association