May 30, 2020

Death threats for journalist in Bosnia and Herzegovina

topic:	Freedom of Expression
located:	Bosnia and Herzegovina
editor:	Katarina Panić

Banja Luka-based journalist Vanja Stokić has been covering migrants issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina for several months. Last Friday, on May 22, she went to the recently re-opened camp Lipa to interview its residents. When she came back home, she posted a photograph with two migrants.

"Sometimes, you look for a story, and you find friends. I've been following the two of them for six months. Two cities, three camps, two ruins, who knows how many border crossings... Until they reach Canada and Spain, we take pictures as if we will never meet again", she wrote on her Facebook profile at 7 pm that day.

Some four hours later, Vanja received a message a stranger who threatened her that they would "decapitate" not only migrants but also "all you soul caregivers who welcome them."

She went to the police the very next morning to report the threats. The policewoman on duty asked her if she had come just for that and, "Is that all?". The police officer didn't bother to read the threats. Instead, she called someone, and after that, she told the Vanja to come back on Monday, May 25 – three days after the threats were made. The police offer has reportedly explained to Vanja that the police will take the statement on Monday, adding that he is going to do that even though he is not in charge and that he probably is going to forward the case to someone else. 

Vanja decided to vocalise the experience on social media instead. She took the risk of being threatened and intimidated once again, but at the same time, she felt she could be more protected if the problem is exposed widely. And she was right. The same person contacted her again, and her friends too, repeating the threats and even leaving his phone number so she could pass it to the police. Meanwhile, the public reacted furiously, as well as journalist associations. The police arrested the man who threatened Vanja the same night. However, the bitter taste of double standards stayed. 

"When public officials are threatened via social media, the authorities react urgently. Cases are investigated quickly, and perpetrators found and sanctioned. In this case, we do welcome the arrest, but we regret the police didn't react promptly. Now we insist on serious investigation and sanctioning of the person who threatened our colleague," Bosnian Journalists Association stated.

Image - Vanja Stokić/Facebook

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