The Steering Comitte of BHJA strongly condemns the attacks on the journalist teams of BN TV from Bijeljina and the Alternativna Televizija from Banja Luka, that happened in Teslić during the shooting of events related to the vote on the revocation of the current mayor Milan Milicevic. The BN TV team was attacked on Sunday, after the voting ended, when two political party supporters came into conflict. The mayor Miličević himself threatened the journalists from ATV while giving statements for this media outlet, saying that „he wasn’t satisfied with the work of ATV “, and that this is the last statement for ATV, adding that ATV will no longer be able to enter the building of the Municipal Administration.
The Steering Committee considers exerting political pressure and violence against journalists as and inadmissible and uncivilizational act, as well as question their free and safe work. Physical attacks and threats are direct attack on freedom of expression and represent violation of the right to inform citizens about matters of public concern. Responding to the referendum and voting results are an event of extreme importance for all the inhabitants of Teslić, which means that media and journalists must be allowed to be uninterrupted when working the public interest.
The Steering Committee of BHJA requests from the police authorities in Teslić to take special measures for protecting journalists and media teams who report from this town, and from the Central Election Commission to sanction politicians who violate the right on informing with their acts.