Although the campaign for the upcoming general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina has not officially started yet, a large number of cases of what could be described as hate speech have already been recorded, and the number of portals operating without any basic data has increased: names and surnames of people who edit and publish content, without a named editor and without any contact information. The interlocutors of Fena talked about this topic, and presented some proposals related to this problem.
Jurišić: Lack of public condemnation
The Deputy Minister for Human Rights and Refugees Duška Jurišić points out that the use of modern IT technology is one of the ways of self-regulation. However, this proved to be insufficient.
He does not believe that there is a readiness of neither the media nor the self-regulator – the Press Council, to deal with the problem of hate speech, psychological violence, brutal insults, and even the presentation of slanderous and completely inaccurate allegations. Despite the fact that the Directives of the European Union and the Council of Europe have not been translated into laws in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to regulate this area, those who wish can apply them directly. No one prevents them from doing so.
“However, the mood created in the public is negative towards any kind of regulation or self-regulation. For example, the criminal complaint for psychological violence (due to insults and curses on social networks) against a multiple returnee in the commission of criminal offenses caused numerous public controversies, condemnation of the complainant, relativization of the crime. I am not optimistic that anything will be resolved in this election year on this issue. I want to believe that the majority condemns posts with offensive content and hate speech, but that “This majority is silent in front of the aggressive minority, which is supported by a part of the academic community and politicians, justifying it with freedom of expression. I have no doubt that it will improve someone’s election results. However, I do not believe that the influence will be decisive for the election victory.”
He concludes that the key consequence is that the tacit consent of the mainstream media for such announcements, and the lack of public condemnation discourage those who could and would like to engage in politics. On the other hand, hate speech, insults, curses, inappropriate vocabulary in some areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina lead to extremely inappropriate reactions of local authorities, which restrict freedom of speech and media through decisions, conclusions or other legal acts.
Kajan: Citizens have the right to know who is behind the portal
President of the Committee for Information of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament, Sanel Kajan, reminds that he referred to the FBiH Government the Initiative to regulate the issue of anonymous portals and hate speech in the digital space.
“Hiding behind false names, behind profiles without identity, certain persons have been conducting digital stalking, psychological violence, denial of genocide, glorification of war criminals, collection and abuse of personal data, spreading national, racial and religious hatred and directly targeting family members, including children. At the same time, we are faced with numerous portals that operate completely anonymously – without editors, without journalists, without addresses, without contact, without imprint. Portals that present themselves as media, but are actually platforms for spread of hatred, manipulation and misinformation. Citizens often have no one to complain to, because they do not know who is behind these portals. This causes fear and deepens divisions in society,” says Kajan.
Therefore, he submitted an initiative to the Government of FBiH for the regulation of internet portals and for a stronger systemic fight against abuse of anonymity on the internet.
It asks the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to initiate the procedure for drafting a law that would regulate the operation of internet portals in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, prescribe mandatory registration of portals and publicly available data on owners, editors, editorial staff, address, contact e-mail and phone number, establish a public and accessible register of online media and define clear obligations and responsibilities for published content, including sanctions in case of spreading fake news, hate speech and disinformation.
“Citizens have the right to know who is behind the portals that shape public opinion. Citizens have the right to security in the digital space. And institutions have an obligation to ensure that the Internet is not a place of lawlessness,” says Kajan.
Burek: Worrying increase in the number of unregistered web portals
The Press and Online Media Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina warns of a worrying increase in the number of unregistered and non-transparent information web portals, the so-called “wild portals”, whose activity is especially intensified before and during election cycles in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the executive director of the Council, Dženana Burek.
According to the latest data from the Mapping of Information Web Portals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the Council conducted during 2025, 488 information portals were registered in the country, while only about 40 percent of them meet the basic criteria of transparency.
These data confirm the Council’s long-standing warnings that the digital media space in BiH remains extremely vulnerable to abuse, especially in politically sensitive periods.
“Experiences from previous election cycles show that precisely in those periods, the number of portals used to spread unverified information, political discredits and manipulative narratives increases, often without any possibility of determining responsibility for published content. Such practice directly threatens citizens’ right to accurate and credible information and seriously undermines trust in the media and the democratic process as a whole,” says Burek.
The Press and Online Media Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina reminds that freedom of expression also implies professional responsibility and that this does not mean freedom to mislead the public, and that the Codex for Print and Online Media of Bosnia and Herzegovina clearly stipulates the obligation of media transparency, including the publication of an imprint in which the editorial and responsible structure and important contact information are clearly highlighted. Media that accept the system of self-regulation and respect professional standards make a key contribution to the protection of the public interest, especially during elections.
The Council invites all informational web portals operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the self-regulation system, to make basic information about their work available to the public and to adhere to professional and ethical standards. At the same time, the Council appeals to the competent institutions to, with full respect for media freedom, consider mechanisms that will further promote transparency and responsibility in the digital media space.
“We also emphasize the importance of strengthening citizens’ media literacy, so that the audience is able to recognize unreliable sources of information and distinguish professional journalism from politically motivated or propaganda content, especially anonymous ones. The fight against disinformation, especially in election cycles, requires a joint effort of the media community, institutions and the public,” says Burek.
The Press and Online Media Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue to monitor the situation in the online media space, publicly react to violations of professional standards and provide support for responsible and ethical journalism, with the aim of protecting citizens’ right to credible information and preserving democratic processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it writes. N1 BiH.
