SafeJournalists and EFJ: Immediately release and drop charges for journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The SafeJournalists Network (SJN) and European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) demand immediate release and charges to be dropped for journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac. 

Late last night, Miljanović Zubac was transferred from Trebinje to Sarajevo, accompanied by police officers and Border Police inspectors. Before the transfer, her family home was searched and her professional items and devices confiscated. She is suspected of “disclosing official secrets.”

The Bosnia and Herzegovina Journalists’ Association (BHJA) and the wider journalist community are appalled. Authorized officials of the Border Police, with approval from the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, verbally requested and received a warrant from the Court of BiH to search the journalist. This was done despite her long-standing work as a responsible journalist and citizen who, voluntarily and without coercion, has for years shared information and documents on possible crimes within police structures, including the BiH Border Police.

These actions are a clear case of institutional pressure and intimidation. They violate Miljanović Zubac’s right to freedom of expression. This is a disproportionate show of force against a journalist’s right to work freely, safely, and with dignity — regardless of the fact that BiH’s criminal law allows questioning about how journalists obtain information on crimes committed by others.

The SJN and EFJ strongly condemn the attempt to criminalize Miljanović Zubac, who reports on crime, while the actual perpetrators remain free. We remind all institutions involved in this case that journalists have the right to protect their sources. They also have the right to refuse cooperation with police and judicial bodies whose actions violate journalists’ rights.

Miljanović Zubac has faced continuous attacks and threats since the arson attack on her car in 2022. Among the recent incidents, Miljanović Zubac was reportedly threatened  with “head chop off.” While she is being investigated for her reporting, all crimes and threats against her safety have gone unpunished. The EFJ and the SafeJournalists Network have been calling for stronger protection since the beginning of these attacks, and find it alarming to witness abuse of the journalists’ rights instead. 

At the moment a hearing of Nataša Miljanović Zubac is in process at the Prosecutor’s Office, in the presence of a Free Media Help Line lawyer. We call for all retaliatory charges against her to be dropped immediately and for an independent investigation into her judicial harassment and the threats aimed at silencing her work.

SafeJournalists Network 

Croatian Journalists’ Association

Association of Journalists of Kosovo

Association of Journalists of Macedonia

BH Journalists Association

Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia

Trade Union of Media of Montenegro

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)