OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media concludes first official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina

SARAJEVO, 28 May 2025 — The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Jan Braathu, concluded today his first official visit to in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) where he held three-days of bilateral meetings.

Representative Braathu met with the Speaker of the BiH House of Representatives Denis Zvizdić; the Speaker of the BiH House of Peoples Nikola Špirić and the Deputy Speaker Dragan Čović, the Minister of Communications and Transport of BiH Edin Forto, Deputy Minister of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH Duška Jurišić and Acting Secretary of the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs Edin Dilberović and Member of the House of Peoples and the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights Radovan Kovačević. Braathu also met with representatives of the BiH’s entity of Republika Srpska Minister of Transport and Communications Nedeljko Čubrilović, and several Republika Srpska opposition politicians.

Key topics on the agenda included concerns about safety of journalists and authorities’ responsibility to ensure that journalists can work freely and safely. Representative Braathu addressed the escalating threats, legal harassment and violence targeting individual journalists and media outlets, along with the growing anti-media rhetoric. “No journalist should face intimidation or violence simply for doing their job,” Braathu said. “The 2018 OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on Safety of Journalists clearly sets out participating States’ commitment to ensure a safe, enabling environment for journalists. Upholding these commitments is not just a matter of priority — it is a necessary step to preserve democratic governance and safeguard the public’s right to information.”

Representative Braathu welcomed ongoing State-level reform efforts, including on media ownership transparency, but raised serious concerns about recent legislative developments at the entity level that risk undermining independent journalism and the free flow of information. These include the “foreign agent” law adopted in Republika Srpska, and draft laws in several cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina focused on public peace and order as well as public information. Braathu urged authorities to align these laws with OSCE commitments through inclusive, transparent legislative processes.

The Representative also addressed the role and functionality of the public service broadcasting system and the regulatory authority as well as the issue of access to public information. He emphasized that these institutions must operate independently, professionally, and in the public interest to build a pluralistic and resilient media environment.

Braathu met with the Director of the Communications Regulatory Agency, the management of Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as several journalists and civil society representatives from across the country. He also held a meeting with numerous representatives from local Embassies belonging to the informal OSCE Group of Friends on Safety of Journalists.

“I am encouraged by the constructive engagement of many stakeholders during our meetings over the past three days,” said Braathu. “What is now needed is the political will to translate dialogue into action through inclusive, rights-based reforms that uphold free, independent, and safe journalism as a public good and a central pillar of the OSCE’s comprehensive security framework.”

Braathu reaffirmed his readiness to provide assistance to authorities at all levels of government to advance media freedom reforms, in line with his mandate and OSCE commitments.

The Representative will remain in the country to participate in the 10th regional South East Europe Media Conference, “Actioning media viability for informed, resilient societies”, organized by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media in collaboration with OSCE field operations from South-Eastern Europe in Sarajevo from 29 to 30 May. There, he will continue to engage with regional and national stakeholders to further promote a safe and an enabling environment for media freedom.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom