Bosnia and Herzegovina: We demand immediate release and charges to be dropped for journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac
As part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has joined forces with the Safety of Journalists Network (SJN) to call for the immediate release of journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac and the dropping of charges against her aimed at criminalizing her reporting.
08 August 2025
Late last night, Miljanović Zubac was transferred from Trebinje to Sarajevo, accompanied by police officers and Border Police inspectors. Before the transfer, her family home was searched and her professional items and devices confiscated. She is suspected of “disclosing official secrets.”
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Journalists’ Association (BHJA) and the wider journalist community are appalled. Authorized officials of the Border Police, with approval from the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, verbally requested and received a warrant from the Court of BiH to search the journalist. This was done despite her long-standing work as a responsible journalist and citizen who, voluntarily and without coercion, has for years shared information and documents on possible crimes within police structures, including the BiH Border Police.
These actions are a clear case of institutional pressure and intimidation. They violate Miljanović Zubac’s right to freedom of expression. This is a disproportionate show of force against a journalist’s right to work freely, safely, and with dignity — regardless of the fact that BiH’s criminal law allows questioning about how journalists obtain information on crimes committed by others.
The SJN and EFJ strongly condemn the attempt to criminalize Miljanović Zubac, who reports on crime, while the actual perpetrators remain free. We remind all institutions involved in this case that journalists have the right to protect their sources. They also have the right to refuse cooperation with police and judicial bodies whose actions violate journalists’ rights.
Miljanović Zubac has faced continuous attacks and threats since the arson attack on her car in 2022. Among the recent incidents, Miljanović Zubac was reportedly threatened with “head chop off.” While she is being investigated for her reporting, all crimes and threats against her safety have gone unpunished. The EFJ and the SafeJournalists Network have been calling for stronger protection since the beginning of these attacks, and find it alarming to witness abuse of the journalists’ rights instead.
At the moment a hearing of Nataša Miljanović Zubac is in process at the Prosecutor’s Office, in the presence of a Free Media Help Line lawyer. We call for all retaliatory charges against her to be dropped immediately and for an independent investigation into her judicial harassment and the threats aimed at silencing her work.
*Update: Miljanović Zubac was released on 8 August after questioning at the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to her lawyer, the Prosecutor’s Office will probably submit a proposal for prohibitory measures. It has not yet made a final decision on the qualification of the crime she is suspected of.
This statement was coordinated by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.
