News and Events

Final Event Marks Closure of Swiss Cultural Programme

Final Event Marks Closure of Swiss Cultural Programme

The Swiss Cultural Programme in the western Balkans, which has invested millions in the regional cultural scene, will mark its closure in Sarajevo with discussions, art exhibitions and awards for best practice.

BIRN BiH at Civil Rights Defenders' Days in Stockholm

BIRN BiH at Civil Rights Defenders’ Days in Stockholm

BIRN BiH’s Operations Manager Amila Nezirovic participated in the Civil Rights Defenders’ Days conference in Stockholm from April 2-5, an event held under the banner ‘Empowering Human Rights Defenders at Risk’. 

BIRN Journalist Comments on Vlahovic Verdict on BHT 1

BIRN Journalist Comments on Vlahovic Verdict on BHT 1

BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina journalist Mirna Buljugic featured on BHT1’s main news programme on March 29, 2013, speaking about last month’s conviction of paramilitary Veselin ‘Batko’ Vlahovic, who was given Bosnia’s longest ever war crimes sentence.

Al Jazeera Balkans Hosts Balkan Insight Managing Editor

Ana Petruseva, BIRN Macedonia director and Balkan Insight managing editor, took part in Al Jazeera Balkans’ current affairs TV show ‘Kontekst’ on April 4.

BIRN Fellowship Alumnus Wins Journalism Prize

BIRN Fellowship Alumnus Wins Journalism Prize

Stevan Dojcinovic, editor of the Centre for Investigative Journalism Serbia and an alumnus of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalism Excellence, has won the 2012 Jug Grizelj award for investigative journalism.

Southern Serbian Cities and Municipalities Join ‘Europe – That Is You’ Campaign

Southern Serbian Cities and Municipalities Join ‘Europe – That Is You’ Campaign

Representatives of the Delegation of the European Union’s delegation to Serbia, the Serbian government office and EU’s PROGRESS European Partnership with Municipalities Programme sent out a message to mayors and heads of municipalities in south and south-west Serbia, saying that the amount of donations they will get in the coming period depends on their abilities and competence, which is why it is necessary to strengthen the capacities of the local administrations so they can respond to the challenges of EU integration in the best possible way.

BIRN Kosovo Wins Three Journalism Awards

BIRN Kosovo Wins Three Journalism Awards

BIRN Kosovo’s ‘Gazeta Jeta ne Kosove’ (‘Life in Kosovo Newspaper’) won three journalism awards on Monday, including the ‘best journalist of 2012’ prize.

BIRN Serbia Launches Website “JAVNO”

BIRN Serbia Launches Website “JAVNO”

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Serbia) launched a portal called Javno.rs, an open and fully searchable database containing thousands of documents on public expenditure, on March 28. The link for the site is http://javno.skockajtebudzet.rs/index.php.

Kosovo Court Holds BIRN Media Harassment Hearing

Kosovo Court Holds BIRN Media Harassment Hearing

The court in Pristina held a closed session in the case against a municipality chief and a group of newspaper staff over a slur campaign against BIRN Kosovo director Jeta Xharra.

Fellows for 2013 selected

Fellows for 2013 selected

The jury in the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence has selected 10 participants for this year’s programme.

BIRN and Transparency Serbia hold debate on tackling corruption

BIRN and Transparency Serbia hold debate on tackling corruption

As a part of the ‘Monitoring Policies of the Government of Serbia’ project, a conference on systematic approaches to fighting corruption was organised by BIRN Serbia in cooperation with Transparency Serbia on March 20.

Harvard Students Visit BIRN Sarajevo Office

Harvard Students Visit BIRN Sarajevo Office

A group of students from the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic visited the offices of BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina to learn about war crimes prosecutions in the country.

BIRN Serbia begins journalism training within EU PROGRES programme

BIRN Serbia begins journalism training within EU PROGRES programme

The first training session for journalists and editors organised by BIRN Serbia as part of the project ‘Europe, It’s You’ was held in Leskovac in southern Serbia from March 15-17. The training sessions are part of The European Partnership with Municipalities – EU PROGRES across south and southwest Serbia.

Suddeutsche Zeitung’s Balkans correspondent joins Fellowship committee

Suddeutsche Zeitung’s Balkans correspondent joins Fellowship committee

The award-winning German journalist Florian Hassel will be representing Suddeutsche Zeitung on the selection committee of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence this year. The respected German newspaper has been the Fellowship’s media partner since the establishment of the programme in 2007. Hassel will replace his colleague Christiane Schloetzer, who was a member of the jury for six years until she took up a new post in Turkey in late 2012.

BIRN’s legal adviser participates in justice system discussion

BIRN’s legal adviser participates in justice system discussion

BIRN Kosovo’s legal adviser Flutura Kusari spoke at an expert roundtable on the subject of citizens’ rights and accountability in the Kosovo justice system that was organised by Advocacy Training and Resource Centre in cooperation with Centre for Legal Aid and Regional Development as well as law firm Sejdiu and Qerkini.