Since June, the organisation has been the target of a defamation campaign, which was supported by the local government aligned media. After consultations with the EU Police Mission, TI BiH took the decision to temporarily discontinue the work of the chapter – an unprecedented move – in light of concerns for the safety of its staff.

In a meeting with the country’s acting Chief Prosecutor, Milorad Barasin, the Principal Deputy High Representative, Raffi Gregorian, submitted a letter he had received in February detailing plans to discredit TI BiH. He also expressed support for the chapter, saying: “It is high time to stop the propaganda campaign against ‘Transparency International’,” and stressed that any allegations should be handled by an independent judiciary, in accordance with the principles of due process and impartiality. To date, the BiH prosecutor’s office has not received any official accusations or reports of malpractice concerning TI BiH staff members.

In a message of support for the chapter, TI Secretariat’s Managing Director Cobus de Swardt, said: “It is one of the few times in Transparency International’s history that a national chapter has been intimidated to the point of having to suspend operations. We are deeply concerned and saddened, and stand in solidarity with our colleagues in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Other commentators also came out in support of TI BiH. “The campaign against Transparency International needs to stop,” said Wanda Troszczynska-van Genderen, Western Balkans researcher at Human Rights Watch, a human rights NGO. Human Rights Watch has noted that the risk faced by those that confront corruption in the country can be deadly.

In a statement to the media, Doris Pack, the European Parliament rapporteur on Bosnia and Herzegovinia, said: "The EU recently renovated its trust in Bosnia and Herzegovina's potential as a future member of the Union, signing the SAA [Stabilisation and Association Agreements], and this also means that the political authorities will have to eliminate any obstacle to the fulfilment of the political and economic criteria. Obstruction towards the anti-corruption fighters will not be tolerated."

On 23 July, TI BiH's Executive Director Srdjan Blagovcanin was questioned as a witness by the RS Police at the request of the inspectors of the Ministry of Interior of the Republika Srpska. TI BiH views the development as a positive development, although it is unclear why the State level prosecution appointed Entity level police to carry out the investigation, rather than the SIPA (State level) investigative force that is at their disposal.

TI BH took the decision to resume its regular operations on 28 July with the support of Oli Rehn, the European Commissioner for Enlargement.

Established in 2001, TI BiH has become the leading NGO against corruption in the country. Its work, particularly through its Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre that has been contacted by every fourth Bosnian family, has empowered many citizens to fight corruption.