MOSTAR, 28.08.2018. – As a sign of support to the collegue Vladimira Kovačević, journalist of BN TV, who was beaten up in Banja Luka, journalists from Mostar held a protest walk in Mostar, and send a message that the attack on journalists can not be tolerated.
Faruk Kajtaz, journalist from Mostar,he expressed the worrying fact that this year there were 41 attacks on journalists in BiH.
“This is a problem that definitely escalates in BiH and even in the region and I am really scared what could happen in the pre-election campaign, since it is obvious we entered a long – term political crises in BiH”, emphasized Kajtaz.
He estimated that journalists have to take an attitude and show that they respect their profession, respect themselves and the public, and that they are the link between politics, parties and all public and ordinary people.
“In BiH an lynching atmosphere towards journalists is being created”, considers Vera Soldo, journalist from Mostar.
The responsibility is on those who put targets on journalists back: “We are not targets, we are poeple doing their jobs. Let us do our job. BiH seeks to some democratic process, to EU so lets forget old tortures when you were punished for freedom of expression’. I hope those times are past.”
Politologist and journalist Husein Oručević emphasized that the situation in media is generally very bad in central, but especially in east Europe. Journalists and media are in very bad financial positions, what favors politicians to use the journalists profession.
The protest walk was organized by the Journalists Club in Mostar.