Introduction
On 4th February 2025, Radio Free Europe published an article following up on the mobilisation efforts after the devastating floods and landslide of 4th October 2024, which killed 19 people and destroyed much of the village of Donja Jablanica. Their reporting found that, after an initial wave of solidarity, support quickly waned as winter set in, leaving survivors feeling abandoned. Although railway operations were restored within three months, many homes remain in ruins, and no formal investigation has been launched. The landslide was caused by an illegal quarry operating on public land, yet authorities deny having issued any permits since 2008. Local residents and activists, including Ćamila Imamović and members of the women’s group Most Jablanica, led protests and volunteer initiatives, criticising both government inaction and the short-lived nature of public support. Despite initial fundraising efforts—over €250,000 collected in a single day—they reported that calls for justice have largely faded.
Freedom of association
In January 2025, social media users in Bosnia and Herzegovina launched a campaign to boycott shops, petrol stations, cafés, and restaurants in protest against soaring prices, inspired by a similar initiative in Croatia. Retail chains in the country generate nearly €4 billion in annual revenue. Since 2020, average food prices have risen by almost 50 per cent, while the average monthly salary stands at around €700, compared with an estimated cost of living of €1,600. To date, authorities have not introduced any measures to address the rising cost of living.
Freedom of peaceful assembly
On 19th December 2024, the University of Mostar Union held a one-hour warning strike in front of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Geodesy. Dragan Katić, the union president and a professor at the faculty, described the situation at the university as “alarming”, noting that professors’ salaries are lower than those of primary and secondary school teachers. Union members demanded pay raises, emphasising that their salaries are up to twice as low as those at other public universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Several hundred education workers from the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNK) protested in Mostar on 23rd December, expressing dissatisfaction with low wages in the region. Colleagues from other parts of the country joined the march, while a one-hour warning strike was held simultaneously in all primary and secondary schools across the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 25th December, the Municipal Court in Mostar issued a temporary measure banning the strike of education workers in HNK, which the canton’s Ministry of Education announced would take effect immediately, with the right to appeal. As a result, primary and secondary schools following the Bosnian curriculum resumed classes on Thursday, 26th December, while schools operating under the Croatian curriculum had been on holiday since 20th December.
On 25th December, several dozen citizens gathered in front of the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, after the court reduced Eldin Hodžić’s prison sentence from 35 to 20 years. Hodžić had murdered his wife, Alma Kadić, in July 2021 in front of her mother and their four-year-old daughter, shooting her in the back of the head outside her parents’ home. Over four years, hundreds of reports of domestic abuse were filed with police and social services, resulting in courts imposing multiple suspended sentences, which Hodžić repeatedly violated without consequence. Initially sentenced to 35 years in prison by the Sarajevo Cantonal Court in April 2023 for murder, endangering safety, and illegal possession of firearms, Hodžić’s sentence was reissued after a Supreme Court ruling required a new trial. On 23rd December, the Supreme Court reduced his sentence to 20 years, citing legal technicalities.
Thousands gathered in Banja Luka on 9th January 2025 to mark the Day of Republika Srpska, defying rulings by Bosnia’s Constitutional Court that declared the celebration unconstitutional. Over 2,700 participants—including police, veterans, and delegations from Serbia, Montenegro, and Russia—joined the parade, which critics say excludes non-Serb citizens and glorifies a date linked to the start of the 1992–95 war. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin called the holiday a symbol of Serb unity, while Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, recovering from surgery, sent greetings. Although Dodik recently proposed moving the holiday to 15th February to align with Serbia’s Statehood Day celebrations, 9th January remains widely observed. Bosnia’s Foreign Ministry protested against Serbia’s participation, citing several court decisions and international rulings. The celebration was also condemned by the United States, with the US Treasury announcing further economic sanctions against Dodik’s associates in response.
On 22nd January, around a thousand business owners from across the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina protested in front of the entity government building in Sarajevo, demanding lower employer contributions and a fairer tax system. Small business owners opposed contributions on the recently increased minimum wage or requested tax exemptions, arguing they cannot bear the financial burden. The government rejected the demands but said it would subsidise those unable to meet their obligations. The protest followed the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage from 619 to 1,000 BAM (about 500 euros). Organisers called for 700 BAM of the new wage to be taxed, with the remaining 300 BAM tax-free, and urged Parliament to hold the Prime Minister and Minister of Development, Entrepreneurship, and Trades accountable.
Workers from the Ugljevik Mine and Thermal Power Plant (RiTE) in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina staged a protest on 22nd January 2025 over ongoing operational issues, marking their third protest in just over ten days. Their main demand is the termination of a concession agreement signed in 2013 between the Republika Srpska government and the Russian-owned company Comsar Energy Republika Srpska, linked to oligarch Rashid Sardarov. The concession allows coal mining at the “Ugljevik East 2” site, with a projected investment of over 400 million BAM (around 220 million euros) over 30 years. Following earlier protests on 17th January, the Republika Srpska government announced plans to terminate the contract. However, in December 2023, the Ministry of Energy and Mining had already granted Comsar Energy permission to begin coal extraction at the site, which has an estimated annual capacity of one million tons and an exploitation lifespan of four years.
Several hundred citizens gathered in Zenica on 9th February to protest rising living costs and broader social discontent in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Organised by the informal citizens’ group Zeničani na ulice, the protest began with a moment of silence for the victims of the October floods and landslides that devastated Donja Jablanica. Demonstrators demanded transparency in the use of aid funds, accountability for delays in assistance, and measures to address inflation and rising prices. The march continued past the Zenica-Doboj Cantonal Government headquarters, with organisers urging similar protests across the country.
The following day, students and citizens in Sarajevo also rallied to demand justice for the 27 victims of the October 2024 floods, calling for criminal charges against those responsible, transparent public spending, and a nationwide review of quarry permits. Donja Jablanica, the hardest-hit area with 19 victims, was nearly destroyed after a quarry collapse triggered by heavy rain.
Freedom of expression
On 20th January 2025, journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac of Radio Television Republika Srpska (RTRS) reported to the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) that she had received a death threat, allegedly relayed by a member of the ruling SNSD party, Nataša Đogić. According to Zubac, Đogić informed her of a phone call with Branislav Okuka, a security adviser to the President of Republika Srpska, during which he allegedly said that Zubac and Trebinje police chief Siniša Laketa would have their “heads chopped off.” The threat was reported to the Trebinje Police Department on 15th January but was not included in official bulletins, raising concerns about selective reporting. The case has since been referred to the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA). Deputy Minister for Human Rights and Refugees Duška Jurišić condemned the threat and expressed solidarity with Zubac, who has faced repeated intimidation, including a previous death threat in September. The EFJ and BH Journalists’ Association (BHJA) are monitoring the case closely.
On 31st January 2025, the government of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNK) questioned the credibility of the BH Journalists’ Association (BHJA) after it criticised political pressure against the portal Istina Media. The dispute began when Istina Media reported on the opaque allocation of public funds to media outlets in the canton, prompting the government to accuse the outlet of unprofessionalism. BHJA expressed support for Istina Media and other local outlets, which led to sharp criticism from the HNK government, accusing BHJA of damaging its reputation and the journalism profession. BHJA rejected the accusations, denying any political bias and reiterating that it was merely highlighting the government’s lack of transparency in awarding media subsidies.
On 7th February 2025, Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik announced police investigations into recipients of USAID assistance, accusing several media outlets—including Srpska.info, BN TV, and Nezavisne Novine—of working against him, without providing evidence. The following day, the BH Journalists’ Association condemned Dodik’s attempts to criminalise journalists and called for a collective lawsuit in response to his false claims.