Bosnians Mourn Journalist Whose War Reports ‘Promoted the Truth’

Salih Brkic, a doyen of journalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina who was known for his coverage of the 1992-95 war, died on Friday in the city of Tuzla after a short illness.

Broadcasting for Federal Radio-Television, FTV, Brkic kept the public updated about events on the frontlines, and continued his reporting about the suffering of Bosniaks in Srebrenica and the wider Podrinje area of the country after the war.

News of Brkic's death brought tributes to his work from numerous colleagues and friends.

"We have lost the dear Salih Brkic. In addition to being known as a journalist, he will be remembered as a true advocate for promoting the truth about the horrors that struck the Podrinje region, especially Srebrenica, during the war. Thank you for all your contributions in the fight for truth," the Srebrenica Memorial Centre wrote on Twitter.

The moving scenes depicted in Brkic's reports on the identification of Zekira Begic, a pregnant woman from Bratunac, who was exhumed 12 years after being killed and buried in a mass grave in Suha, deeply affected people around the globe.

Azra Berbic, a peace activist and journalist, wrote on Twitter that she "first learned about Srebrenica from him, not at home or in school, but from Salih himself".

Brkic received numerous press prizes, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He made more than 30 documentaries in his career. In January 2022, he donated his complete video archive to the Bosniak Institute - Adil Zulfikarpasic Foundation. His archive covers a wide range of topics, from the destruction of mass graves to significant historical buildings.

Brkic was born in 1948 in Mostar, and brought up in Stolac. He said that it...