East Sarajevo/Sarajevo, 8 February 2026 – The BH Journalists Association and the Free Media Help Line (FMHL) strongly condemn the physical attack on journalist Sanja Vasković, editor-in-chief of the Spin portal, which occurred on 7 February while she was attempting, in her professional capacity, to investigate the felling of trees and the construction of a swimming pool in East Sarajevo. At the construction site of the company Uniotec, Ms Vasković was verbally abused by Ljubo Sladoje, the father of the company’s owner, who subsequently forcibly seized her mobile phone, thereby endangering her personal safety and violating her right to work freely and independently.
This attack is not an isolated incident, but rather another example of the increasingly frequent pressures, intimidation, threats and physical violence faced by local media and journalists in Republika Srpska, as well as throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. Data from the FMHL indicate that since the beginning of 2026, a total of 12 cases of attacks and threats against journalists and media workers have been recorded, including physical assaults, verbal threats, political pressure, targeted intimidation and SLAPP lawsuits.
We also recall the recent physical attack on a BN Television news crew, which took place on 21 January in Bijeljina, when a security guard of “Elektroprenos” physically assaulted the cameraman and punched him in the face. In this case, as well as in yesterday’s attack on journalist Sanja Vasković, the police on the scene classified the incidents as misdemeanours, despite the attacker admitting to physically assaulting the journalist and attempting to prevent her from carrying out her professional duties.
BH Journalists welcome the prompt response of the police in both cases of physical attacks against media professionals. At the same time, however, we stress that the legal qualification of physical attacks on journalists and other media workers as “misdemeanours” constitutes an inadequate institutional response and sends a dangerous signal of tolerance towards violence against the journalistic profession. We therefore call on the competent institutions, and first and foremost the police authorities and prosecutor’s offices, to treat physical violence against media professionals as serious criminal offences, given that the attacks in Bijeljina and East Sarajevo occurred in the course of journalists performing their professional duties, and bearing in mind the role and importance of journalism in a democratic society. The police and judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina must ensure effective investigations and the application of appropriate legal consequences and sanctions against those who threaten, attack or intimidate journalists, in accordance with domestic criminal legislation and international standards for the protection of journalism.
Furthermore, we call on political actors to clearly and publicly condemn all forms of violence against media workers and to immediately refrain from rhetoric that further fuels intolerance and threats against journalists. This is particularly important in an election year, in which an even more intense increase in pressure on and threats to media freedoms can be expected.
We recall that during 2025, dozens of cases of physical and verbal attacks, threats, obstruction of journalists’ work and other violations of media rights were recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to records kept by BH Journalists and regional partners within the SafeJournalists network, at least 35 serious attacks and threats were documented, including the violent obstruction of investigative journalism and open pressure by public officials, as well as the targeted targeting of individual journalists. Such an unfavourable environment, marked by political pressure, weak institutional protection and inconsistent responses by the authorities, creates an atmosphere of fear and insecurity that endangers not only the safety of journalists, but also the fundamental democratic rights of all citizens.
Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association and Free Media Help Line (FMHL)
