Sarajevo/Banja Luka, April 4, 2026 – The BH Journalists Association strongly condemns the highly inappropriate and professionally unacceptable conduct of the mayor of the Municipality of Jezero, Snežana Ružičić, toward journalist Dejan Rakita of the portals Valter and Gerila.info. Such conduct undermines the fundamental standards of communication between public institutions and the media, as well as the public’s right to be timely and accurately informed about matters of public interest.
In response to a journalistic inquiry submitted by Dejan Rakita to the Municipality of Jezero regarding geological research in the area, mayor Ružičić published her reply in the form of a public statement on social media. On that occasion, she also publicly shared a screenshot of the journalist’s email, including his email address and other personal data, thereby violating basic standards of privacy protection and professional communication.
Particularly concerning is the content of the mayor’s response, in which she cynically instructs the journalist to “engage in investigative journalism” by referring him to the Municipality’s website, while attempting to discredit and demean him. Such an approach constitutes an unacceptable form of public targeting and discouragement of colleague Dejan Rakita, especially considering that he has received multiple awards for his professional investigative reporting on environmental issues.
BH Journalists remind mayor Ružičić that journalistic inquiries are a legitimate working tool of every media outlet and that public institutions are obliged to respond in a timely and accurate manner, using the same channel through which the inquiry was received. Any deviation from this practice, including publicly calling out journalists and avoiding answers to posed questions, represents a violation of the fundamental principles of transparency and accountability of public institutions, as well as the citizens’ right to information.
We call on mayor Ružičić to immediately cease the practice of publicly targeting journalists and to ensure, in the future, professional, transparent, and responsible communication with media representatives. Holding public office entails an increased level of responsibility, including the obligation to recognize the media as an important actor in informing the public, rather than as an adversary.
The BH Journalists Association will continue to monitor this case and provide support to journalists in protecting their professional and human rights, particularly the right to access information held by public institutions.
Media freedom and the safety of journalists are the foundation of every democratic society!
Steering Committee of BH Journalists
