Banja Luka, 25.12.2018. – The Steering Committee of BH Journalists Association and Free Media Help Line are directing a public protest to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska and the Police Department of Banja Luka, for detaining journalists Vladimir Šušak, Correspondent of BHT for an interview. Journalists Vladimir Šušak was detained this morning after he photographed Davor Dragičević in the Emergency car, that drove him from the Police Department after giving his statement.
Although the journalist Šušak was detained very shortly in the Police, where he gave basic information on himself and his work, along with professional and polite treatment by the police, BH Journalists Association and Free Media Help Line consider this act of the police as violation of freedom of expression and unacceptable interference into journalists professional work.
In this connection, the Steering Committee of BH Journalists Association remindes Mr Željko Spasojević, Commander of the Police Department Banja Luka, that the OSCE Guidelines for Police when dealing with the Media strictly emphasize that „Police cannot be involved or cannot punish journalists during their performing of tasks“, as well as that „journalists have right to take photos, to record, make notes, observe, make interviews and/or make reports without asking for promotion of government or police”
The Steering Committee of BHJA requests an urgent and official apology from the Police Department Banja Luka to journalist Vladimir Šušak, as well as respecting journalists rights and media freedom for all media and journalists who follow the public demonstrations in Banja Luka, activities of the group „Justice for Davida“ and all other events connected with the unsolved murder of the young man David Dragičević.