prijava
SARAJEVO, March 2 (FENA) - The Steering Committee of the Press and Online Media Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina strongly condemns the latest move by the Government of the entity of Republika Srpska, which adopted the Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code, which introduces defamation into the criminal legislation and thus directly threatens already questionable media freedom and the right to freedom of expression in that entity, warned the Council.
"The duty of the media in democratic societies is to bring to light, publish all information, question and investigate every issue that is of public interest and importance for citizens. Thus, by giving the prosecutor the authority to examine and analyze journalistic contributions and articles represents direct interference in journalistic work that has its own regulators and self-regulators," it is stated in the statement.
Given that the issue of defamation is already regulated by the Law on protection against defamation in the RS, the Press and Online Media Council asks the question: why is the criminalization of defamation an issue that has received the status of urgency and priority for the authorities in the RS?
"Despite numerous appeals and warnings that this is a flagrant stifling of media freedoms that leads to the inevitable shutdown of an otherwise small number of media and media professionals, the authorities in the RS are pushing for the adoption of the law that foresees fines that reach up to 50,000 KM," warns the Press and Online Media Council in BiH.
(FENA) S. R.
