The BH Journalists Association assessed as “offensive and inappropriate” the political attack on journalist of N1 TV during a press conference of Milorad Dodik, the President of Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity, requesting an official response from the competent state agencies.

The statement comes a day after Dodik lashed out at N1 reporter Snezana Mitrovic and N1 TV in a press conference, accusing the media outlet she works for among other things of “having an anti-Serb narrative” and telling her that there is a service monitoring the media outlet's work. He also said N1 should be banned, calling the media outlet a “subversive state element.”

Dodik lashes out at N1: We have a service monitoring you

“The Board of BH Journalists Association considers the verbal attack on journalist Snezana Mitrovic and N1 TV unacceptable, as we well as the brutal violation of their right to the freedom of expression and asking critical questions. Milorad Dodik's years-long confrontations with media workers and his continuous usurpation of public political posts for personal confrontation with journalists and media who criticise Dodik's decisions or ask him legitimate questions of public importance are shameful and on the border of pathological hatred,” the association said.

Referring to Dodik's claim that there is a service monitoring N1's work, the BH Journalists Association said that, if true, this represents a “serious legal problem and unallowed political and institutional interference in the work of media.”

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The association announced an official request for the response of the competent state agencies, including the State Investigation and Protection Agency and the Intelligence-Security Agency, to inform the public about whether, and if so, based on whose request or decision and which law, monitoring and wiretapping of journalists from N1 television and/or any of another media in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been enabled.