Other threats to journalists, Renata Radić Dragić i Leila Bičakčić, CIN, Sarajevo 28.11.2024.

BHJA •︎ 02/12/2024

Other threats to journalists, Renata Radić Dragić i Leila Bičakčić, CIN, Sarajevo 28.11.2024.

Translations: Sarajevo 

  • Case info

  • Personal info

  • Regional center
    Sarajevo
  • Who was attacked?
    Group
  • Group members' names and surnames
    Renada Radić Dragić and Leila Bičakčić

  • Media outlet

  • Name of the media outlet
    CIN
  • Type of media platform
    Online Media
  • Source of information about the incident
    CIN

  • Incident Data

  • Date of incident
    28.11.2024
  • City
    Sarajevo
  • Perpetrator(s)
    Known (suspected)
  • Attacked by
    Public person(s)
  • Means of incidents and attacks
    Other means of incidents and attacks
  • Type of incident
    Other threats to journalists
  • Type of threat
    Unfounded judicial and administrative harassment including SLAPP cases

  • Action by the authorities

  • Police action
    n/a
  • Public prosecutor's action
    An investigation is going.
  • Legal status of the case
    The procedure is in the investigative phase
  • Type of violation
    Other

  • Action taken by the journalists' association

  • Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?
    Yes
  • What was the reaction of the journalists' association?
    The association provided legal support
    The association organized some other form of support

A criminal complaint was filed against the responsible persons of the Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN) – editor Renata Radić Dragić and director Leila Bičakčić on the charge that lawyer Emina Begić from Bugojno “endangered security, obstructed a fair trial and prevented evidence” and for “abuse of position” during duration of the court proceedings against this bar. Lawyer Begić was convicted “for abusing clients’ trust, misappropriating their money and forging documents”.

CIN published a research article  on this case in 2022 and followed the entire court proceedings for follow-up research on this topic. After the publication of the text, the lawyer Begic filed a series of complaints against the author Renata Radić  Dragić and CIN, the epilogue of which was a lawsuit for defamation, which was rejected as unfounded in the first-instance proceedings, that is, CIN proved that no defamation had been committed against the lawyer Begić by CIN.

After losing the defamation case, lawyer Begić filed a criminal complaint.