Whistleblowers in BiH Without Real Protection: Institutions Received Three Times Fewer Reports Than TIBiH

Sarajevo, 26 February 2025 June 2026. year – In the period from 2022 to 2025, competent institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina received a total of 44 requests for protection of corruption whistleblowers, while during the same period, 133 individuals who can be classified as whistleblowers contacted Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH). These data show that citizens who report corruption still have more trust in civil society organizations than in formal institutional protection mechanisms.

The data were presented at the round table “Strengthening the Framework and Practices for Whistleblower Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” organized by TI BiH on the occasion of World Whistleblower Day, where it was emphasized that whistleblower reports are one of the most important ways to detect corruption, abuse of office, and other irregularities. However, unclear, inconsistent, and in some cases non-existent protection mechanisms, fear of retaliation and job loss, distrust in institutions, and the belief that reports do not lead to sanctions continue to deter citizens from reporting corruption.

At the BiH level, the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight Against Corruption received six requests for protected whistleblower status over a four-year period, while status was granted in only one case. In Brčko District, seven requests were recorded and all were approved, while in Republika Srpska, four judicial proceedings for the protection of corruption whistleblowers were recorded. The Federation of BiH, except for Sarajevo Canton, still does not have a law that would specifically regulate the protection of corruption whistleblowers, although the draft law passed public consultation and the procedure in both houses of the FBiH Parliament, after which it was returned to the Federal Ministry of Justice for the adoption of amendments and preparation of the Proposed Law.

Sarajevo Canton, which after adopting the law in 2023 became the only jurisdiction in the Federation of BiH with a special protection mechanism, is recording progress in this area, as the Anti-Corruption Office of Sarajevo Canton received 27 requests from 2023 to 2025, of which 21 were approved.

At the same time, TI BiH received 133 reports from whistleblowers through the Center for Providing Free Legal Aid in the Fight Against Corruption during the same period, while in 2025 alone, 35 such reports were received, representing significant growth compared to 2024, when 21 reports were recorded. This number is also higher than the total number of requests received by competent institutions in 2025, which further confirms that citizens who report corruption have more trust in civil society organizations than in official protection mechanisms.

The round table also presented the regional report “Protected or Exposed? Whistleblower Protection in the Western Balkans: Progress and Challenges ” (Protected or Exposed? Whistleblower Protection in the Western Balkans: Progress and Challenges ), which shows that adopting laws alone is not sufficient if their effective implementation does not exist. Findings from Western Balkan countries indicate that in certain systems, the standard of “good faith” is still applied instead of “reasonable belief that the information is true,” while practice shows that even formally recognized whistleblower status often does not prevent retaliation.

An additional problem is the weak institutional response to corruption, so according to TI BiH findings for 2025, only 1.4% of all indictments filed in that year related to corruption. Of a total of 144 indictments for corruption criminal offenses, only five related to high-level corruption, namely abuse of office by the highest officials through which multi-million benefits are gained at the expense of the state.

Of 28 court decisions rendered in high-level corruption cases, 17 were convictions, while nearly 40% consist of acquittals or dismissals. Such indicators further affect citizens’ trust and send a message to potential whistleblowers that reporting corruption often carries greater risk for the whistleblower than for those who committed the corruption.

TI BiH warns that whistleblowers in Bosnia and Herzegovina remain exposed to pressure, retaliation, and professional consequences, while institutions do not provide sufficiently fast and effective protection, which is why many do not decide to report corruption or, instead of institutions, turn to the non-governmental sector.

On the occasion of World Whistleblower Day, TI BiH appeals to the competent authorities in the Federation of BiH to adopt the Law on Protection of Whistleblowers in FBiH as soon as possible and calls on institutions at all levels of government to improve the implementation of existing laws and ensure real protection for persons who report corruption, because without whistleblower protection, there is no effective fight against corruption.

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