Sarajevo/Tuzla, June 8, 2026 – The BH Journalists Association (BHJA) has sent a letter to the Tuzla City Council requesting the dismissal of councilor Mirnes Ajanović from his position as President of the City Council’s Human Rights and Freedoms Commission.
According to the Association, the request was prompted by Ajanović’s continued public targeting of journalists, denial of their right to freedom of expression, pressure on media professionals and the journalists’ association, and conduct incompatible with the core values and mandate of the commission he chairs.
In recent weeks, Ajanović has used social media and written communications addressed to domestic and international organizations and institutions to publicly target and defame investigative journalists Anisa Mahmutović and Adis Mujdanović. The BHJA states that the attacks were related to their professional work and testimony before the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Anti-Corruption Commission on May 11, 2026. During that hearing, the journalists discussed the activities of certain private higher-education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina based on findings obtained through investigative reporting.
BH Journalists emphasized that Ajanović, who serves as legal counsel for European University Kallos, made a series of false and offensive statements about Mahmutović and Mujdanović, referring to the journalist as an “SDA associate” and accusing the journalists of “manipulating the public.”
The Association further stated that after it publicly defended the journalists and condemned such pressures, Ajanović continued his public attacks against BH Journalists. According to his own statements, he has also filed criminal complaints and defamation lawsuits against the journalists and officials of the BH Journalists Association.
A Serious Form of Political Pressure
BH Journalists noted that before initiating lawsuits and making public accusations, Ajanović did not use legally prescribed mechanisms for responding to media content, such as requesting corrections or rebuttals. Instead, they claim, he launched a public campaign against the journalists and the association through social media posts and letters sent to organizations and institutions concerned with freedom of expression and journalists’ safety:
“Such actions represent a very serious form of political pressure on journalists and on an organization that has spent more than two decades protecting freedom of expression, media freedom, and journalists’ safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We consider it completely unacceptable for the Human Rights and Freedoms Commission of the Tuzla City Council to be chaired by a person who publicly targets journalists, uses his public position to confront media professionals and their professional association, and contributes to creating an atmosphere of pressure and intimidation.”
The Association added that such conduct directly contradicts the principles of freedom of expression, the right to information, human rights protection, and democratic dialogue that the Human Rights and Freedoms Commission is expected to promote and defend.
They also stated that Ajanović’s campaign against journalists and their professional association seriously undermines the credibility of the commission and raises questions about its ability to function as an independent body for the protection of human rights. BH Journalists recalled that the European Federation of Journalists had also reacted to the case, expressing full solidarity with BH Journalists and concern over attacks directed at journalists and organizations defending media freedom.
Requests to the Tuzla City Council
BH Journalists have called on the Tuzla City Council to:
- Initiate the procedure for removing Mirnes Ajanović from the position of President of the Human Rights and Freedoms Commission.
- Refer the matter to the City Council’s Ethics Committee to determine possible responsibility for violations of the Councilors’ Code of Conduct and damage to the reputation of the Tuzla City Council.
- Adopt a resolution condemning all forms of pressure, targeting, and intimidation of journalists, including pressure directed at Anisa Mahmutović, Adis Mujdanović, and the BH Journalists Association.
The BHJA concluded by expressing confidence that the Tuzla City Council would not allow a commission responsible for protecting human rights and freedoms to be led by a person whose public actions contradict those values. It called on the Council to demonstrate its commitment to protecting media freedom, freedom of expression, and journalists’ safety as fundamental democratic values and human rights.