SARAJEVO, 02.03.2018. – The Steering Committee of BH Journalists Association expresses concern over the attacks and threats to the team of BHT1, that was attacked yesterday during the protest of the demobilized fighters in Tuzla and the traffic blockade on the Šićka loop at the exit of the city. Some of the demobilized fighters verbally insulted the reporter Marko Divkovic and Enes Muratovic, cameraman of BHT 1, threatened to destroy their equipment and tried to prevent them recording. After this incident, one number of journalists left the place of protest, as a sign of solidarity for the BHT1 team, refusing to record persons who do not value elementary media freedoms, nor the right of journalists on safe and dignified work.
The Steering Committe of BHJA remindes that the protest of demobilized fighters, their efforts in seeking justice and regional life conditions, would not have reached the public and all citizens of BiH, if it wasn’t for journalists, recorders and photo-reporters, who yesterday and throughout the night devotedly worked and recorded the statements and requests of the warrior fighters organizations, followed what was happening at the protest places and in the institutions responsible for solving the problems of the demobilized fighters. Therefor it is unacceptable, that in seeking their own rights, demobilized war-fighters themselves, are jeopardizing the rights of journalists teams and endager their safety and work – freedom.
In this context, The Steering Committee of BHJA condemns from the war – fighter organizations and the protest leaders in Tuzla to direct a public apologize to the team of BHT1 for violent behavior of one number of their colleagues, and asks for enabling regular work conditions for journalists and media teams in the Tuzla-area, but also on all other places throughout Federation of BiH where protests eventually will be organized.
The Steering Committee of BH Journalist Association