After verbally attacking N1 reporter Snezana Mitrovic during a press conference on Thursday, President of Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity Milorad Dodik called the journalist, yelling, cursing and offending her.
Mitrovic said she feels disturbed and threatened.
“Unfortunately, we are used to insults and verbal attacks at press conferences. It is very dangerous that the journalistic community remains silent about this type of attack. I am perhaps a little bit disappointed today, because the media in general remained silent on what was said at the press conference yesterday. I do not need a lawyer or to be defended, I have been defending myself with my honorable work for 20 years. But, when an official admits that he has a service that monitors the work of journalists, it is very dangerous and indicative for me. For me, it is a call for investigative bodies to look into these allegations, what kind of services are monitoring the work of the media and journalists and whether they are doing it legally,” she said.
A call from Dodik's office, curses and insults
A few hours after the said press conference, when Dodik addressed a series of accusations towards N1 and Mitrovic, the N1 reporter received a call from the RS President's Office.
A person established the call and then transferred it to Dodik himself.
Mitrovic said that everything happened fast, in one minute. She answered and thought Dodik was about to apologise for his words earlier that day.
“I naively believed that. It crossed my mind that he might accept an interview, because I send requests regularly. Instead, curses and shouting followed, I couldn't even get to start speaking. This is the first time I get such a call. Mr. Dodik was protesting and shouting because of the text published on N1 portal. He started shouting and cursing, it was very personal and unpleasant. Very stressful. In that minute of the conversation, he used obscene words, he cursed, he used F-words. I was not raised to repeat those words. I don't have an app on my phone that records calls, so I don't have audio evidence of that conversation, but there were colleagues there. I was very upset yesterday and I didn't know how to act. Whether to report it as some kind of a threat, whether to remain silent, whether to retreat into myself. The day after a sleepless night, I think it is very important to say it. I found out that some other colleagues received private calls from the Palace (the President's Office) and that they are regularly receiving private calls from the Palace. And every call from the president is a pressure on your work. The colleagues shouldn't be flattered by that, it's a pressure on the work of journalists, that's how I see it,” stressed Mitrovic.
She sees this incident as the worst so far.
“Yesterday, for the first time, I thought about the darkness in which I walk. I have never felt unsafe before, but I consider this in some way a threat to safety and targeting of people who do this public work, which is very difficult. The stress we experience every day has consequences on our health, and I'm afraid that one day it will pay off,” she said.
Mitrovic reported everything to the Free Media Help Line. She hasn't gone to the police yet, but if she had a recording of the call she woudl have done that immediately. Mitrovic pointed out that she does not engage in illegal wiretapping, but that there has to be a trace of calls from the institution.
Snezana Mitrovic has worked for N1 since the founding of this media company. She proved herself with professional work. She is a journalist with almost 20 years of experience. She covers the topics of internal politics, economy, social processes, and culture. She has made dozens of documentaries. She has never been sued for defamation, nor prosecuted. Mitrovic was named the best student of her generation. She is the mother of two children.
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