National Safety Mechanisms - Bosnia and Herzegovina
National Safety Context
According to UNESCO's Observatory of Killed Journalists, no deaths have been recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1993.
There is 1 national safety mechanism being implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina to prevent and prosecute crimes committed against journalists. More information on this initiative is summarised below including relevant links.
Coordination Meetings on Safety of Journalists
In the Canton of Sarajevo Coordination Meetings on safety of journalists started in 2022.
What activities are carried out?
The meetings on safety of journalists allow the appointed prosecutor to communicate and coordinate actions with journalist associations, journalists, and law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses committed against journalists and media workers.
How is it implemented?
In April 2022, a first Coordination Meeting on safety of journalists was held in Sarajevo Canton, initiated by the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor’s Office in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting was attended by representatives of associations of journalists (the Balkan Investigative Network and Direkt portal, the non-governmental legal aid organisation Vaša prava, IREX, Reporters Without Borders, the Association BH Journalists, Mediacentar Sarajevo, Safejournalists.net), law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Police Administration, the Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Interior and Human Rights Ombudsperson of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Who are the stakeholders?
One of the main stakeholders of the meeting is the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor’s Office because it regulated the manner of documenting of criminal offences targeting persons who perform duties of importance to the public in information dissemination, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The other stakeholders are the attendees of the meetings about the safety of journalists: the appointed prosecutors, the law enforcement agencies, journalists and journalists' associations.
For more specific information on the national safety mechanism in Bosnia and Herzegovina and those in other countries please follow the links.
