The Board of Directors of the BH Journalists Association sent a public protest to the President of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity, Milorad Dodik, regarding the announcement that a law on the activities of non-governmental organizations and similar associations in the RS which will be identical to the US law, will soon be proposed, the statement reads.

Dodik told journalists in Banja Luka that “in its law, the USA calls foreign non-governmental organizations or those financed by foreigners as foreign agents on the territory of the USA”, and announced that the RS would adopt the same terminology and that “instead of the ‘USA’, it would say ‘Republika Srpska’.” He noted that the law the RS government is drafting would imply reporting every type of transaction and activity.

The BH Journalists Steering Board warned that such announcements by the RS President represent a new attack on freedom of expression and action through unacceptable attempts to limit the work of the non-governmental sector.

“It is evident that Milorad Dodik and those who support him want to silence independent, investigative and free journalism at any cost, as well as representatives of the non-governmental sector investigating and analysing the moves of the ruling structures, by exposing numerous corruption affairs and the non-transparent spending of millions of budget funds. The Steering Board once again calls on the entire media community and all relevant domestic and international organizations to resolutely raise their voices in the fight against the media darkness that threatens Republika Srpska,” BH Journalists said.