The display of photographs of migrants recorded in the hamlet of Gašnica near Gradiška on August 28, 2025 on the portals of certain media outlets, including public service broadcasters (RTRS, ATV, Mondo…), represents an unethical practice and a form of dehumanization of this population.
People on the move, who are mainly seeking protection and a better life, are depicted as “offenders”, sometimes as criminals or terrorists, while their human dignity is ignored. The photographs show the faces of migrants often in humiliating situations, which violates the basic principles of journalistic ethics and the rules on protecting the identity of vulnerable persons. The unclear source of the photographs (provided photographs) is additionally worrying, especially if they come from authorities responsible for public safety and order.
The codes of conduct for print and online media in Bosnia and Herzegovina require respect for human dignity, avoidance of discrimination, and protection of the identities of persons who may be exposed to stigmatization and danger. The harsh treatment of border and regular police, which often accompanies such media reports, further emphasizes the dimension of human rights violations.
Instead to informing the public and contributing to understanding the complex phenomenon of migration, such media portrayals participate in the process of stigmatization and the spread of xenophobia.
We call on the media to adopt professional and ethical reporting and not to publish photographs that reveal the identity of migrants or show them humiliated, due to their human dignity, but also the stigmatization that prevails in the public towards them.
Migrants are not a “problem” or a “statistic”, but people with human rights, dignity and their own stories and fears. The media should convey information, not spread fear, stigmatization and violate human dignity.
Terminology that labels migrants as “illegal” should not be used – migrants can only be persons who have crossed the border illegally, in accordance with United Nations recommendations.
We call on all institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina to act in accordance with international treaties and domestic legal regulations, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, which prohibit any inhuman and degrading treatment.
