At least 203 people were fined between 2021 and 2025 for content posted on social media and online portals under local public-order regulations in several parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to an analysis by BH Journalists. Rules in Una-Sana, Posavina, Canton 10 and West Herzegovina cantons and the Municipality of Kakanj have been used to sanction online expression, creating territorial differences in freedom of expression, where conduct may result in a fine in one part of the country but not elsewhere. The analysis questions whether online communication can legally be treated as occurring in a “public place” under public-order legislation and raises concerns about proportionality, insufficiently defined offences and the use of such rules to shield public officials from criticism. It calls for harmonisation with international and European standards, stressing that legitimate responses to hate speech and harmful online content must not become mechanisms for restricting critical expression. Read more here.
Source: SafeJournalists