Sarajevo, March 9, 2026 – The BH Journalists Association has named the recipients of the “Gender Equality Champions 2026” awards, recognizing individuals and organizations for their media, civic and public contributions to promoting gender equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This year’s award winners are Rabija Arifović, a journalist with the Sarajevo-based magazine Stav, in the Journalist category, the Mostar-based news portal Istina.media in the Media category, and the Local Foundation Zenica and lawyer Jovana Kisin Zagajac from Banja Luka in the Civil Society/Academia/Public Engagement category.
According to BH Journalists, the recipients have consistently advocated for gender equality in the media and society in recent years. Their work has included educational initiatives aimed at strengthening gender equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the production and support of media content addressing gender-related issues, and responses to cases of violations of women’s human rights in the media and through institutional inaction.
In explaining the award for Rabija Arifović, BH Journalists said she had publicly and institutionally opposed psychological violence and threats to safety in the digital space. She was also the first journalist to file a criminal complaint against the individual behind what the organization described as brutal and dehumanizing abuse motivated by her journalistic work, as well as by her gender identity and religious characteristics. “By exercising her right to legal and judicial protection against her attacker, journalist Arifović faced a multiplication of violence and renewed victimization through thousands of misogynistic comments on social media, as well as through unprofessional media content,” the explanation said. “By initiating criminal proceedings, she sent a clear message to the public in Bosnia and Herzegovina that violence and abuse against women journalists in the digital space are unacceptable and must be sanctioned.”
BH Journalists Association said the Mostar-based portal Istina.media is one of the few online outlets in the country owned and led by a woman. Its owner and editor-in-chief, Kristina Spajić Perić, is also recognized as one of the outlet’s most prominent journalists. The organization noted that the portal’s editorial policy promotes equal rights and opportunities for women and men in Herzegovina and across Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Through daily reporting and investigative stories, the outlet highlights the contrast between the often difficult lives of ordinary citizens and the privileges enjoyed by members of the political establishment, sustained by lawlessness, crime and corruption. Women, journalists and members of other minority and vulnerable groups are often among the victims of such a system,” the explanation for naming Istina.media the 2026 Champion of Gender Equality in the Media category said.
BH Journalists Association also recognized the Local Foundation Zenica, describing it as a resource centre supporting civic initiatives that promote equality, human rights and justice while encouraging community activism. Over the past two years, the organization has made a significant contribution to the protection of journalists’ rights and their visibility in the public sphere, including publishing the first report on violations of freedom of expression and the safety of journalists at the local level in the Zenica-Doboj Canton. “In addition to documenting attacks and threats against media workers, the Local Foundation Zenica developed recommendations to improve the rights and safety of women and men in the media and organized a series of debates and educational events aimed at strengthening journalistic solidarity, legal protection and institutional accountability in cases of attacks on media professionals,” BH Journalists said.
Explaining the award for lawyer Jovana Kisin Zagajac from Banja Luka, the association said: “She is widely recognized not only as a legal representative before courts across Bosnia and Herzegovina and a defender of the rights of marginalized citizens, but also as an activist and outspoken advocate against violence against women, discrimination, mobbing and institutional silence”. In recent years, Kisin Zagajac has represented journalists through the Free Media Help Line’s free legal aid services. According to BH Journalists, thanks to her expertise in media law she has not lost a single case in which she defended the right to freedom of expression. She also contributed to the first court ruling in favour of a journalists before the Basic Court in Banja Luka in a case involving insults and discrimination based on gender and presumed sexual orientation.
BH Journalists Association has presented the “Gender Equality Champions” awards for the past five years to encourage journalists and media outlets to promote women’s human rights and gender equality, and to report on women and their achievements in a fair, objective and professional manner.
