BH Novinari association urges Bosnian authorities to speak out on Gaza

The appeal, addressed to top state officials including Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers Borjana Kristo, Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic, Communications and Transport Minister Edin Forto, and Minister for Human Rights and Refugees Sevlid Hurtic, urges Bosnia and Herzegovina to break its silence and take a firm stance.

“We address you at a time when the world is witnessing one of the gravest humanitarian disasters,” the letter begins. “On behalf of our members, journalists across Bosnia and Herzegovina, we express solidarity with all civilians in Gaza who are dying today because the world does not dare to act decisively.”

The letter also highlights the peril faced by local media professionals. “We stand with our colleagues, journalists, camera operators, and photojournalists, who, despite everything, continue to perform their journalistic duties, risking and losing their lives in the line of work.”

“This is not a natural disaster – it is a political decision”

The letter condemns what BH Novinari calls the “systematic, deliberate starvation” of the population in Gaza. “We are witnessing people deprived of food, water, medical supplies, and shelter for days on end,” the statement says. “Children are dying of exhaustion in the arms of parents who can’t feed them. Babies in hospitals are suffering from acute malnutrition while humanitarian convoys are blocked.”

“This is not the result of a natural disaster; it is a political decision, a form of collective punishment enforced by Israeli authorities.”

The letter calls these actions “a war crime and a crime against humanity,” and warns that starvation is being used as a weapon. “The denial of basic life necessities, including medicine and clean water, is happening before the eyes of the world, and ours. The only remaining witnesses are local journalists, who are themselves now being silenced by hunger.”

The IFJ and EFJ recently reported that journalists in Gaza have reached the brink of physical collapse, suffering from starvation, loss of consciousness, and extreme fatigue. According to IFJ data, at least 187 journalists and media workers have been killed since the beginning of the war.

“Their deaths send a dangerous message: that truth must not be heard. By sealing Gaza off from foreign media, the Israeli military is silencing freedom of expression and the public’s right to know. We are witnessing the literal starvation of truth.”

BH Novinari: Bosnia cannot remain silent

The association criticised the Bosnian government’s “passivity” and called on it to abandon its neutral stance.

“Unfortunately, Bosnia and Herzegovina has shown restraint at a time when any honest state should show courage and raise its voice against the killing and starvation of civilians, among them, 187 journalists. This country has no moral or human right to remain silent, especially given its own wartime experience more than thirty years ago, when civilians were killed and starved in much the same way as in Gaza today.”

BH Novinari demanded that:

• The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina clearly define its position on genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Gaza and stop hiding behind neutral language or avoiding concrete action.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina support the suspension of the EU-Israel agreement and publicly backs the immediate evacuation of civilians in life-threatening conditions.
• The country joins global calls to allow foreign journalists into Gaza, ensure protection for local journalists, and support an international investigation into the starvation of civilians and media professionals as a war crime.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina must stand on the side of truth, humanity, and international law,” the association concludes.

“When the truth is being silenced through starvation, our duty is to speak even louder. It is a moral and political disgrace that Bosnia’s authorities remain silent in this moment.”