MONITORING REPORT ON HATE SPEECH IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 2025

Between January 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, the monitoring recorded 78 incidents of hate speech in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the most prevalent being hatred based on ethnicity. A total of 41 incidents (52.6%) were explicitly directed at ethnic groups, with an additional three (3.8%) combining ethnic and gender-based hatred, and three (3.8%) combining ethnic and religious hatred.

Gender-based hatred was documented in 11 cases (14%), including the three already noted as intersecting with ethnicity. Two of these cases, involving public commentary on the interethnic marriage of two public figures, reflected both gendered and ethnic hate. Religious hatred appeared in five cases (6.4%), two of which (2.6%) also had an ethnic dimension.

Out of the 78 recorded incidents, the largest share, 24 cases (30.8%), were perpetrated by politicians, political parties, and state officials. Private individuals were responsible for 18 cases (23%), while journalists, media personnel, media writers, and analysts accounted for 17 cases (22%), showing that media actors were both frequent targets and perpetrators of hate speech. Influencers, bloggers, and social media activists were involved in 2 cases (2.6%), as were sports fans and celebrities or popular culture figures.

Other perpetrator types, including sportscoaches, businesspeople, civil society and religious leaders, and police officers, appeared only once each (1.3% per category).

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