Author: birnEU

Justice Report Features in Karadzic Documentary

Nidzara Ahmetasevic, BIRN’s
Justice Report Editor, was interviewed for a documentary on Karadzic’s arrest,
made by a NATO Review editor.The documentary on his arrest is part of a series
of documentaries, published on the NATO Review webpage: http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2008/07/EN/index.htm

The
entire series is entitled "The Balkans: Quo Vadis?" In the film, its
author Paul King, a NATO Review Editor, analyses how Radovan Karadzic’s arrest
may influence the situation in Bosnia
and Herzegovina.The documentary was filmed in Sarajevo and Pale in the course of the summer
of 2008.

Besides
Ahmetasevic, the following persons have also been interviewed for this
documentary: Raffie Gregorian, the Deputy High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Sir Geffrey Nice, former Hague Tribunal Prosecutor, as well as NATO
officials.The series is the first full video edition of NATO Review.

Justice Report Attends OSCE Round Table in Doboj

BIRN – Justice Report presented its work on the reporting of war crimes trials in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to participants of the second round table on “Models of cooperation between prosecution and civil society in the field of war crimes processing”, held in Doboj.

The round table, held in Doboj on November 14, 2008, was attended by representatives of the Cantonal/Regional Prosecution Departments in Zenica and Doboj, as well as representatives of victims’ associations from the Zenica-Doboj Canton and the Doboj region.

Along with BIRN’s Justice Report, which was represented by our journalist Denis Dzidic, members of the “Izvor” association from Prijedor and “Vive zene” from Tuzla presented their activities in the field of establishing cooperation between the NGO sector and Prosecutor’s offices. Refik Hodzic, who attended the meeting on behalf of the Hague Tribunal Secretariat in Sarajevo, moderated the meeting.
 
The need for regular exchange of data between the Prosecution services and the associations of victims and former detainees was one of the key conclusions of this meeting. It was further stressed that there  was a need to establish better communication between the Prosecution services and the media with an aim of informing the public in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina about issues related to war crime trials.

Power struggle: Meeting Global Energy Challenges in the Balkans

Power struggle: Meeting Global Energy Challenges in the Balkans showcases the original research of ten journalists selected from Southeast Europe to participate in the 2008 programme of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence.


Since the aim of this programme is to tackle the deficit in information and analysis on transitional challenges and opportunities in the Balkans, you are encouraged to further disseminate information about the book.

A series of reports provides insight into the energy challenges that the region is facing on an economic, political and cultural field, through topics as diverse as various possibilities to overcome the threats of an energy crisis, corruption in the energy sector, the devastating environmental consequences of bad energy policies and the impact of alternative cultural movements on conservative societies.
 
For more information about the book a please see http://fellowship.birn.eu.com/powerstruggle/index.html
 
Initiated by the Robert Bosch Stifting and ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, this programme responds with financial and professional support to the growing need in the region to foster quality reporting, encourage regional networking amongst journalists and advance balanced coverage on complex issues that are central to the region as well as to the European Union.
 
To find out more about the Fellowship programme http://fellowship.birn.eu.com 

BIRN Receives support from National Endowment for Democracy

The National Endowment for
Democracy has generously supported BIRN’s investigative training and publishing
project in Albania and Macedonia. The
aim of the project is to strengthen the skills of local journalists in Albania and Macedonia to help them produce professional, objective reporting on key
issues in the countries and the region. BIRN will also be able to help to
expand the reach and impact of local reporting on important issues affecting
the local  populations.


The
project will run from October 1, 2008 through July 31, 2009.

Kosovo Journalist Wins BIRN Fellowship Prize

Lavdim
Hamidi, 26, has won first prize in this year’s Balkan Fellowship for
Journalistic Excellence for his article Power Games Delay Escape from
Poverty.

Members of
the Fellowship’s Selection Committee
recognised the quality of Lavdim’s reporting and investigative
elements in his story about mismanagement in Kosovo’s energy sector. In his
article, Lavdim revealed the corruption mechanisms which are damaging Kosovo
economy.
Hamidi, who
works for the daily newspaper Zeri, covering the economy, receives an
award of €8,000, to spend on professional
development.
The award was presented at a seminar in Vienna, hosted by the ERSTE
Foundation and attended by all ten fellows.

Runners-up were second-place
Aleksandra Stankovic, for Dash for Wealth Dooms Wild Frontier and
Mirsad Bajtarevic’s Winds of
Change Blow Past Bosnia which came in at third
place.
The seminar
also marked the launch of a book featuring all fellows’
articles.

Power Struggle: Meeting
Global Energy Challenges in the Balkans
will be distributed in the coming weeks at events to
be held throughout Southeast Europe, and will
also be available online.
Learn more
about BIRN’s Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence
here.

Life in Kosovo Discusses the Justice System

This week’s episode debates Kosovo’s justice system.

How are the links within the justice chain functioning?

Where are the courts? Where is Kosovo’s prosecutor? How does politics affect this system? How independent is Kosovo’s judicial council? Why haven’t laws concerning the courts and prosecutor been implemented yet? When will Kosovo’s judges and prosecutors be re-appointed?

Host Betim Musliu has invited the following guests to discuss these issues:

Hilmi Zhitia, head prosecutor at the public prosecution office of Kosovo ;
Rexhep Haxhimusën, leader of the Supreme Court of Kosovo and former leader ;
of Kosovo’s judicial council ;
Nekibe Kelmendi, Minister of Justice ;
Kujtim Kerveshin, law expert ;

In the segment “Culture in Kosovo”, BIRN takes a look at the vintage car
exhibition held in the Mother Teresa Square in Prishtina, the 4th annual
cartoon exposition “EXPOART” in Prizren, and the Kosovo philharmonic
concert at the Kamerfest festival.

Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television,RTK,
and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN.The show is broadcast
every Thursday, starting from 20:15.

Publication of Annual Report for 2007

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network has published its first annual report
outlining the major activities of the Network during the previous year. The
report, 58 pages long is divided into three parts.

The Introduction provides
background information on how the network was created and details our mission,
vision and main goals.

The Reports section explains
the activities and results achieved by the seven organisations which make up the
network, BIRN Hub, BIRN BiH, BIRN Bulgaria, BIRN Kosovo, BIRN Macedonia, BIRN
Romania and BIRN Serbia.

The Internal and Finance
section details the management structure of the network, the operations and
accountability principles and provides financial statements for all the seven
organisations.

To read the report or
download a PDF copy please visit:
http://www.birn.eu.com/apps/BIRN Annual Report 2007.zip

Sandzak and South Serbia Journalists Study War Crimes Reporting

Belgrade _ BIRN Serbia together with the OSCE mission in Serbia organised a three day study visit for journalists from South and Southwest Serbia on reporting war crimes trials.

The event gathered eight journalists who work for print and electronic media from Presevo, Bujanovac, Novi Pazar, Tutin and Raska.

The first session at the OCSE mission was focused on general issues: journalists were introduced to the basics of international law standards and practice in the context of war crimes prosecutions trials in Serbia over the last decade.

Following this, Matthias Hellmann from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia office in Belgrade presented the work of The Hague tribunal and Dusan Ignjatovic from the National office for cooperation with the tribunal presented the work of this Serbian institution.

“It was substantively important for us to hear first hand how some institutions work,” said Baki Rexhepi from TV Spektri in Bujanovac.

On the second day, participants were taken to the District court, Chamber for war crimes, where they had meetings with the president of the court, representatives of the prosecutor’s office and followed current, ongoing trials.

“Being in the court was crucial for this study tour,” said journalist Nikola Lazic from Bujanovac.

On the third and final day, participants followed the morning session in the court and in the afternoon session they had opportunity to meet colleagues from Belgrade-based media.

Aleksandar Roknic from the Danas daily introduced them to techniques of court reporting. Milos Milic, B92 editor, gave a presentation on The Hague tribunal and the role of the media who report from there while Misa Stojiljkovic explained the techniques of interviewing the victims.

Project Proposal Design Workshop

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network worked with forumZFD – the German Forum Civil Peace Service – to jointly respond to the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights’ call for project proposals.

In order to prepare the concept note and outline project activities, forumZFD sponsored a workshop together with project managers of BIRN member organisations.

The four day workshop was facilitated by Mr. Ralph Griese from the Forum for International Development and Planning, a German non-governmental organisation with expertise in projects from areas of sustainable development, development policies and education as well as in consultancy work.

During the workshop BIRN and forumZFD had the opportunity to be trained in the procedures of responding to the call for proposals from the European Commission, as well as in drafting a concept note for submission.

Patrick Schmelzer, the Regional Co-ordinator Western Balkans of the forumZFD (German Forum Civil Peace Service) hailed the workshop as a first step in growing cooperation with BIRN.

“BIRN is a unique organization and we will seek further opportunities for cooperation. The accurate and balanced reporting throughout the region and a focus on topics which also matter a lot to us make this organisation a vital partner for us. While we have a focus on empowering and professionalising the local civil society scene, BIRN has the means to give them an important voice throughout the Western Balkans and in the international arena. So we will develop further activities together. This training on log frame and project development for EU-calls was just a first step.”