Mapping Media Freedom Alert Explorer

Violation of Media Freedom

Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2017-11-30 | Harassment, insult, bullying, Discredit, Sexual harassment, Defamation

Politician writes sexist slurs about female journalists

30 November, 2017 - Dzenan Selimbegovic, a Deputy Secretary General in the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, used several sexually offensive attributes to describe Sanele Prašović Gadžo, a journalist for the public broadcaster BHT, and Arijana Saračević-Helać, a journalist for the public broadcaster FTV, in a comment on his Facebook wall, the regional broadcaster N1 reported.

Selimbegovic described Gadžo and Helać using words including "polovnjaca" (old tart/old promiscuous lady) and commenting that they look as cheap, with bad hair colour and cheap collagen in their lips, daily Dnevni Avaz informed.

The comments followed a trailer aired on BHT for Gadžo’s interview with Helać in her show "Interview 20".

Gadžo, in an open letter to the Chairman of the Presidency Dragan Čović, asked for an institutional reaction and Selimbegovic’s sanctioning, given that he is a public official.

The BH journalists’ association, in an open letter, reacted on Selimbegovic’s comments, describing them as "sexist and misogynists" and "promoting hatred", daily Dnevni Avaz reported.

Soon after the series of reactions, Selimbegovic deleted the post from his Facebook profile.

Date of incident: 2017-11-30 (No date was specified. This is the date of the first publication here.)

Type of incident

Verbal attack

Discredit

Sexual harassment

Harassment, insult, bullying

Legal incident

Defamation

Source of incident

Legislation: government/public official(s)

Context of incident

Online/digital

Who was attacked

no data collected

Type of journalist or media actor:

Media owner/broadcaster

Gender

Woman

Employment status

no data collected

Specific topic

no data collected

Projects

Countries currently monitored

Location

EU candidate countries → Bosnia and Herzegovina → Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina → Sarajevo Canton

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Verification sources

News sources

Additional Information

The OBCT Resource Centre has more information about harassment and defamation and libel.

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