Trebinje/Sarajevo, September 23, 2024. – The Board of Directors of the BH Journalists Association and the Journalists’ Helpline (FMHL) express concern over the latest threats to journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac from Trebinje, on whose cottage at the end of last week the threatening message “Die NMZ” was written. Board of Directors of the BH Journalists Association and FMHL consider this message a dangerous security threat to female journalists, and emphasize that the police and judicial institutions in Trebinje must urgently end the investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Although in this last case, the Trebinje police and the acting prosecutor have already undertaken an investigation and established the commission of the criminal offense of “endangering security”, the Board of Directors of BH Journalists believes that it is not enough to qualify the act, but must take into account the continuity of threats to journalist Miljanović Zubac and their repetition in a period longer than two years. BH journalists recall that from 2022 until today, at least 7 criminal acts have been committed in connection with the safety of this journalist, including the burning of her private car, and not a single case has been concluded with an indictment, let alone punishment of the perpetrators. Infinitely long and ineffective investigations of all these incidents leave doubts about the serious intentions of the police and the competent prosecutor’s office to effectively protect the journalist’s life and punish the perpetrators.
Also, impunity in cases of burning cars and security threats to Nataša Miljanović Zubac gives room for their repetition, which is why not only the perpetrators bear direct responsibility, but also the Trebinja police and the prosecutor’s office, who for two years cannot or do not want to complete the investigation and create legal grounds for punishing the perpetrators, and enable female journalists to work safely and with dignity.
BH journalists and FMHL once again resolutely demand from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska and the District Public Prosecutor’s Office of Trebinje to make a decision on special protection measures for Nataša Miljanović Zubac, until the prosecutor’s decisions are made in the investigation of the burning of a private car and all other security threats to which this journalist was exposed.
About the latest case of threats to journalists Miljanović Zubac, BH journalists and FMHL will inform international organizations for the protection of the rights and safety of journalists, including the Council of Europe, OSCE, the European Federation of Journalists – EFJ and the International Federation of Journalists – IFJ, whose officials have repeatedly requested so far from the police and judiciary of Republika Srpska to protect the journalist, but there was no adequate institutional reaction from Banja Luka and Trebinje.