Media freedom and protection of journalists are non-negotiable on the path to the European Union, the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina said on Saturday, commenting on the incident from Friday evening when a group of hooligans entered premises of a local news portal RadioSarajevo.ba and forced a journalist to retract an article involving an FC 'Sarajevo' fan.

“Alarmed by the attack on RadioSarajevo.ba. Media freedom and protection of journalists are non-negotiable on the EU path,” the Delegation tweeted.

The incident took place Friday evening after RadioSarajevo.ba published a fact-checked article about an FC ‘Sarajevo’ fan who was sentenced to five years in prison in Belarus for possession of drugs.

After the article was published, the journalists and editors “faced unprecedented death threats,” which also targeted their families.

The US Embassy in Sarajevo also condemned the incident, saying it was “unacceptable.”

“As we have said many times before – we strongly defend the right of journalists to report the news without the fear of reprisal. When journalists are silenced, society suffers,” the Embassy tweeted.

The attack was earlier condemned by state, entity and cantonal officials, who urged competent institutions to take measures and adequately punish the perpetrators.