Sarajevo, 19.06.2025. – The Steering Committee of BH Journalists and the Free Media Help Line (FMHL) strongly condemn the verbal threats and insults, including threats to kill journalist Semir Šabić, made over the phone by Evelin Trako, editor-in-chief and editor-in-chief of Dnevni avaz.
According to information available to BH Novinari, editor Evelin Trako threatened journalist Semir Šabić in November 2024, when Šabić was working as a journalist for Dnevni avaz. Dissatisfied with the editorial staff’s attitude towards him, Šabić tried to resolve the problem in contacts with the editors and management of Dnevni avaz and, having failed to do so, he stopped working for this media outlet and decided on June 17, 2025, to share an audio recording of the threats within the Viber group “Journalists’ Union”, which brings together 600 media workers. The audio recording provided to BH Novinari clearly contains vulgar swearing and insults against journalist Šabić and his family members, humiliating and dehumanizing labeling of journalists, as well as explicit death threats with a “promise” that editor Trako would come to Zenica and “kill” the journalist. In an act of anger and aggressiveness, he even tells the journalist to record the threats, while he continues to insult and humiliate him even though he is aware that everything is being recorded!?
The Steering Commuttee of BH Journalists considers the threats and manner of communication between the editor of Traka and the journalist Šabić to be appalling, unacceptable and illegal, and an example of verbal violence and mobbing that is unprecedented in journalistic circles in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fact that the editor addresses the journalist as a less valuable being, unworthy of respect and professional, decent treatment, is an urgent call to the editorial board and management of Dnevni avaz to remove Evelin Traka from the position of editor-in-chief.
Replacing the editor and publicly apologizing to journalist Šabić is the least that Dnevni Avaz can do at this moment to send a message to the public that editorial violence against a journalist in this specific case is unacceptable and is not part of the everyday relationship with other journalists and employees of Dnevni Avaz.
The Steering Commuttee of BH Journalists also calls on the contact points for the safety of journalists in the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor’s Office of Sarajevo Canton to urgently launch an investigation into this case based on the audio recordings provided to them and the request of the FMHL to shed light on this incident and take the measures prescribed by law.
At the same time, BH Journalists point out that this case is an alarm for the entire journalistic community in BiH, for a public protest against editorial violence and a show of solidarity with the journalist Šabić. This is an opportunity to speak loudly about the unacceptability of pressures, threats, blackmail, harassment and other forms of violation of the rights of journalists and media workers within media newsrooms. Such violence is increasing, it must not be hidden or hushed up! In this context, BH Journalists call on media workers to report editorial violence, and the FMHL legal team will provide every journalist with legal protection, medical and psychological support, and safe work while restoring human and professional dignity.
The Steering Commuttee of BH Journalists
