Category: News and Events

Austrian Bank Denies Releasing BIRN Statements

The Austrian Raiffeisen Bank has denied releasing financial statements relating to an account held by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, to the Serbian daily tabloid newspaper Informer.

“It has been confirmed with certainty that the information on the influx [of money] on your account, published in Informer daily, has not come out of the bank. The published document is not the document from Raiffeisen bank,” the bank said in a statement given to BIRN on Tuesday.

“We don’t know on what way Informer daily came into the possession of the information,” the statement added.

The document in question – which is not legally obtainable – was published in the controversial tabloid on Monday and purports to be a BIRN financial statement from Raiffeisen Bank. The document was published as part of an Informer article claiming that the European Commission is “directly funding attempts to bring Vucic down and instigate chaos in Serbia.”

The story claimed that the European Commission has paid a total of €86, 870, 12 to BIRN “for spitting on Vucic”.

“The donation from the EU commission is just one of the payments made from abroad to news networks, who’s only purpose is launching false affairs and instigating chaos,” the Informer story alleged.

The bank has not commented on whether the document published by Informer was a forgery or if it was released by another source. In addition, the bank did not elaborate on why they are sure the document is not authentic.

Journalists ‘can’t obtain financial statements’

Miodrag Vukovic, a lawyer and former Interior Ministry officer, said that obtaining financial statements is only possible for the authorities under very specific regulations and procedures. They can use the obtained documents in criminal procedures, “but if they are not used, they have to be destroyed”.

“No journalist in the regular procedure would be approved by a bank to get access to such information. It simply is not possible, because there is no basis on which you can call to get such information,” Vukovic said.

Informer published another article on Tuesday denouncing BIRN and two other independent media organizations, KRIK and CINS, claiming that foreign grants were given to all three on dates that coincide with the publication of “false affairs against people close to the government”.

The latest story has followed a series of defamatory allegations by Informer – which has links to Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic – accusing BIRN, KRIK and CINS of acting as “foreign mercenaries” and trying to “bring down our government”.

The latest allegations appear on this occasion to be wrapped up in a tabloid feud between Informer and its Belgrade-based rival newspaper Kurir.

The situation escalated on November 8, when Informer’s editor in chief, Dragan Vucicevic, appeared in a special programme on the TV Pink channel called Bringing down Vucic. In the four-hour show he accused Kurir’s owner, Aleksandar Rodic, of being a racketeer, and BIRN, CINS and KRIK of “receiving money from abroad to bring down Vucic and to have a Serbia without a prime minister”.

Government to stop with witch hunt

BIRN Serbia calls representatives of the Serbian government to stop deceiving the public and participating in the campaign against civil society organisations, which report professionally and objectively on the work of Serbian institutions.

We request that instead of suppressing dissenting voices, the government create an environment where organisations that point to criminal actions and corruption will be involved in debate on fundamental issues in our society in a fair and free manner.

Instead of openness to criticism, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has joined an ongoing campaign led by major Serbian tabloids against independent media outlets such as the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, Serbia’s Centre for Investigative Journalist, CINS, and the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network, KRIK.

In the television show Cirilica [Cyrillic], broadcast on Serbia-wide Happy TV on November 9, Prime Minister Vucic once again accused those pointing to corruption in the state of aiming to overthrow the Serbian government. These government watchdogs, BIRN Serbia included, are accused of using lies to attack the state.

It is an extremely dangerous environment when the prime minister is using his position to dismiss opponents, qualifying them as mobsters, thieves and criminals despite no evidence or opportunity for them to defend themselves. This creates an atmosphere where unpredictable and sometimes lethal consequences exist.

During his interview with Happy TV, Prime Minister Vucic voiced his support of the theory that independent investigative centres in Serbia are paid by foreign donors to destabilise the government.

The day prior, the interior minister Nebojsa Stefanovic addressed the same theory in his appearance on national broadcaster TV Pink’s programme Teska rec. He used his public podium to express allegations that BIRN, CINS and KRIK are being financed exclusively by foreign donations. This approach suggests that BIRN’s financing is controversial.

We would like to remind the public that BIRN is not exclusively financed from foreign funders, but also with taxpayers’ money through the government’s office for cooperation with civil society. BIRN Serbia is not a phantom organisation on a secret mission to cause unrest, but an organisation that has worked in Serbia for ten years, in accordance to all the laws of our state. BIRN Serbia also makes all data, including financial records, publically available through the competent bodies.

The latest attacks are merely a continuation of the campaign against BIRN, which started in April 2014. The initial attack was sparked when BIRN published the draft agreement between the Serbian government and Etihad Airways, which showed that the state had paid more for its stake in carrier Air Serbia than it had revealed to the public. That campaign reached a peak earlier this year after an investigation into the controversial tender for de-watering Serbia’s biggest mine, Tamnava, was published. To this day, the findings have not been denied.

BIRN believes that this continual campaign was directed at discrediting the organisation in the absence of arguments, which would deny the findings of our published investigations.

BIRN Albania Launches Call for Investigative Reports on Public Administration

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania launched a call for investigative stories on November 10th.

The call is part of the program ‘Exposing Corruption in Albania,’ supported by the Open Society Foundation in Albania, Balkan Trust for Democracy and National Endowment for Democracy.

In this call that closes on November 20th, three journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story on corruption and impunity related to public administration.

Journalists will have about two months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards.

Until December 2016, other two more calls for investigations will be launched, covering topics on Organized Crime and Local Government.  

The call only applies to journalists from Albania.

Click for more information about the application procedure, with details in Albanian.

Thirrje për artikuj investigativë në fushën e administratës publike

Thirrja organizohet nga Rrjeti Ballkanik për Gazetarinë Investigative në Shqipëri (BIRN Albania), me mbështetjen e Fondacionit Shoqëria e Hapur për Shqipërinë, OSFA.

Nëpërmjet këtij konkursi tre (3) gazetarë investigativë do të përzgjidhen për të prodhuar artikuj investigativë lidhur me sektorin e administratës publike, në bashkëpunim me shoqërinë civile. Fituesit do të përzgjidhen nga një juri e pavarur e përbërë nga gazetarë me eksperiencë dhe ekspertë në këtë fushë.

Aplikantët e përzgjedhur, të cilët do marrin një bursë prej 1,200 USD (minus taksën të ardhurave personale), do kenë në dispozicion një periudhë dy mujore për të përfunduar investigimin e tyre dhe përgatitjen e artikullit për publikim.

Kandidatët fitues pritet që të angazhohen dhe të përmbushin të gjitha detyrimet në lidhje me investigimin, siç janë: takimet e shpeshta (javore) me redaktorin, publikimin e tekstit në faqen e BIRN Albania www.reporter.al dhe gjithashtu në www.balkanInsight.com, si dhe respektimin e standardeve të gazetarisë investigative dhe etikës profesionale.

Prioritet në përzgjedhje do i kushtohet propozimeve të cilat përfshijnë një nga temat e mëposhtme, të sygjeruara si prioritare gjatë një tryeze të rrumbullakët midis gazetarëve dhe përfaqësuesve të shoqërisë civile që mbulojnë sektorin e administratës publike të organizuar nga BIRN Albania:

  1. Politizimi i administratës publike

–        Procesi i rekrutimit në administratën publike/ si vendosen kriteret e përzgjedhjes, si zbatohen ato, si realizohen konkurset.

–        Punësimi i militantëve në poste të larta drejtuese të institucioneve kryesore publike me ose pa konkurs.

–        Pushimi i punonjësve të administratës publike nga puna/ kostoja financiare që shoqëron këtë proces/ mungesa e marrjes së përgjegjësive nga drejtorët e institucioneve që kryejnë këto pushime nga puna.

–        Ndryshimet e shpeshta të stafit të administratës publike të lidhura me zgjedhjet pralamentare ose/dhe lokale, jo në përputhje me ligjin e nëpunësit civil.

  1. Eficenca e administratës publike në mënyrën e funksionimit dhe të koordinimit mes institucioneve publike të pavarura.

–        Sa dhe si zbatohen funksionet e enteve rregullatore dhe organeve të tjera përgjegjëse për mbikëqyrjen dhe monitorimin e institucioneve publike.

  1. Transparenca e institucioneve publike në lidhje me informacionin e detyrueshëm publik dhe zbatueshmërinë e ligjeve në përgjithësi.

–        Ligji për të drejtën e informimit / funksionet e koordinatorit të informimit/ publikimi i organogramës së institucionit/ publikimi i akteve ligjore nga institucionet ligjbërëse pëpara miratimit të tyre.  

–        Njohja, trajtimi dhe keqpërdorimi i argumentimit ligjor të konfliktit të interesit privat me detyrat publike në favor të funksionarit në konflikt interesi.

–        Aplikantët mund të dërgojnë më shumë se një aplikim, por vetëm një propozim për kandidat do të përzgjidhet.

Të drejtën për të aplikuar e kanë të gjithë gazetarët në Shqipëri, të punësuar apo në profesion të lirë.

Kandidatëve u kërkohet të dërgojnë propozimet e tyre në formularin e aplikimeve (Kliko këtu për formularin), një CV dhe tre shembuj të punës së tyre me email në: [email protected]

Afati i Aplikimit: 20 Nëntor, 2015

Kandidatët e përzgjedhur do të njoftohen deri më datë: 25 Nëntor, 2015

Serbian Minister Questions BIRN Credibility Due to Foreign Funding

Serbian interior minister questioned credibility of BIRN as the funding of organization comes only from abroad, after a week of campaign against independent investigative journalism organizations in tabloid media.

In an unprecedented live four hours long program on one of the most popular pro government national TV stations PINK, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, KRIK – Network for Investigating Crime and Corruption, CINS – Serbia’s Centre for Investigative Journalism, were one more time labelled as “foreign mercenaries” who are participating with other actors in what the station called attack on Serbian Prime Minister Aleksansader Vucic.

Serbian interior minister Nebojsa Stefanovic questioned the good intentions of BIRN investigations “as it is strange that all the funding comes from foreign donations” and that no domestic money was ever given to the organisation.

He also argued that investigations done by BIRN and other investigative organisations in Serbia should not be taken for granted.

Dragana Zarkovic, director of BIRN Serbia, says however her organization did reserve funding from Serbian instutitions.

“Office for cooperation with civil sector, which is body of Serbian government , is one of our funders. In 2015 they were supporting our Participative budgeting programme, which enables public consultations in local budgets drafting,” Zarkovic said.

  Owner and editor of pro-government tabloid Informer, Dragan Vucicevic, who was also part of the special program, said that BIRN is “financed to overthrow Vucic’s government, in order to fulfil their campaign to have a Serbia without a Prime Minister”.

“They (BIRN, CINS and KRIK) use lies to destabilize the country, I have proof of everything,” Vucicevic said on Sunday.

He also said that all investigations produced by BIRN and others are “invented affairs”, aimed to cause unrests like in the countries of the region, citing examples of Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia.

As a ‘prof’ Vucicevic took out financial records of BIRN, arguing that “direct payoff of the EU came in February”, just after the article BIRN published on alleged corruption in Tamnava mine.

Vucicevic was referring to a grant BIRN got through a fair competition at the EU tender for investigations as part of the program for Serbia, Media Freedom.

BIRN Albania Holds Roundtable on Public Administration

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania organized a roundtable on November 6 in Tirana, bringing together civil society organisations working in the field of public administration and journalists.

It was the fifth in a series of seven roundtables, part of a programme called ‘Exposing Corruption in Albania’, which is financed by the Open Society Foundation in Albania (OSFA), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD).

The project aims to expose corruption cases in seven different sectors: the environment, education, the judiciary, healthcare, public administration, local government and organised crime, by bridging the gap between journalists and CSOs, and by providing a solid basis for collaboration in exposing abuses of power.

About ten representatives of non-governmental organisations and ten journalists discussed different topics of concern regarding the public administration in Albania, with a special focus on corruption and impunity in the system.

The representatives of the NGOs listed a number of topics, ranging from the role that politics play in the recruitment process in the public administration to issues of public transparency and illegal-decision making by collegial bodies and independent government agencies.

The topics highlighted by the NGOs will be listed in BIRN Albania’s upcoming call for investigative stories in the field of public administration.

BIRN Serbia Journalist Addresses Media Financing Seminar

Tanja Maksic of BIRN Serbia spoke at a seminar entitled ‘Public Interest for Citizens and Media and a New Way of Financing Media Content’ on September 17.

At the seminar, Maksic presented recommendations for improving practices in competitive funding for local governments, which play a major role in the implementation of media reforms, as well as the findings of monitoring by BIRN Serbia.

For the fourth year in a row, BIRN Serbia has been collecting data and recording models of budget spending in the media sector.

The data showed that nearly three billion dinars was spent in the media sector by 33 local governments in the period from 2011 to 2013.

The seminar was organized by Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, in cooperation with Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, the Ministry of Culture and Information, the EU Delegation and the OSCE Mission in Serbia, with the support of the Open Society Foundation.

Serbia Media Report Says ‘Soft Censorship’ Persists

Soft censorship continues to be a major threat to press freedom in the country, concludes the ‘Media Reform Stalled in the Slow Lane: Soft Censorship in Serbia 2015 Update’ report.

The Serbian government appears unwilling to follow recommendations that would guarantee a non-discriminatory allocation of public funds and government advertising across the media, the report says.

Biased subsidies to media outlets, selective government advertising contracts, and manipulation regarding licensing persists in the country, it suggests. The lack of transparency and record keeping is still a severe challenge in assessing the full extent and impact of soft censorship in Serbia.

The report registers small improvements to the media-related legal framework in Serbia, such as thenew Law on Public Information and Media which regulates financial relations between the state and media outlets.

It concludes that state spending in Serbia’s media sector requires fundamental and urgent reform to ensure that taxpayers’ money is no longer used to impose soft censorship, and instead to offer public information through free, independent and pluralistic media that facilitates informed democratic participation.

The report, prepared by Tanja Maksic in cooperation with the BIRN Serbia team, is one of a series in an ongoing project on soft censorship around the world led by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA).

The research covers government entities at national and local level, as well as public companies (companies owned or controlled by the state). It’s an update of the January 2014 report, ‘Soft Censorship: Strangling Serbia’s Media’.

Get the report here:

Media Reform Stalled in the Slow Lane: Soft Censorship in Serbia 2015 Update.

BIRN Wins Legal Case Against Kosovo PM’s Office

A Pristina court rules the prime minister’s office must make travel expense documents public after three-year legal battle for access.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, has been awarded a legal victory over the Kosovo Prime Minister’s office by a court in Pristina, following a three-year battle to gain access to government travel expense documents.

The court victory was announced on Thursday during a conference on public transparency and access to official documents, organised by the Justice and Citizens Campaign and BIRN.

Jeta Xharra, executive director of BIRN in Kosovo, noted that the process of reaching a conclusion to the case was a lengthy one but, in the end, the court established an important precedent for future requests of a similarkind.

“I want to encourage every citizen of Kosovo to knock on the doors of public institutions and demand accountability on the way their taxes are spent and use this court decision as an argument that the authorities must open this data,” Xharra said.

BIRN had requested access to documented foreign travel expenses of the former Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci, who now serves as vice-prime minister and foreign affairs minister, and the same information from the current Isa Mustafa government.

BIRN also requested the same information from six deputy prime ministers of the Thaci government and four deputy ministers of the current Mustafa government.

The PM’s office had denied access to such information, arguing that it could infringe the privacy rights of public officials because invoices for food and drinks could reveal religious and dietary information about individuals.

BIRN argued this line of defence was not relevant and could not be used to circumvent legal obligations to grant access to official documents, and the court decided in BIRN’s favour.

The court considered the PM’s office claim to be unfounded because public officials’ expenses, especially those of senior officials of state, are funded with money collected from taxes and fees paid by the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo.

Therefore, the court ruled that citizens have a reasonable interest in being directly informed about every penny spent and in knowing how entrusted public officials are spending public money, so that officials may be held accountable for their expenses.

The PM’s office failed to follow all procedures in appealing the case, and therefore the original verdict became conclusive.

At the same venue and hall where BIRN shared its legal victories, the PM’s office had scheduled a conference on transparency and access to official documents.

The government’s conference, which took place immediately after BIRN’s, was organised in cooperation with the Kosovo National Agency for Personal Data Protection.

 

“Filmi” Trevjeçar për Menynë e Kryeministrit dhe Zëvendësve të…

Padia e BIRN-it kundër Zyrës së Kryeministrit të Kosovës për shpenzimet e Kryeministrit dhe Zëvendës Kryeministrave në dreka e darka zyrtare jashtë shtetit tashmë ka marrë fund me një vendim të gjykatës se publiku ka të drejtë t’i ketë në dorë këto dokumente

Posted by Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë on Friday, October 30, 2015

 

BIRN Albania Journalist Wins Award

BIRN Albania journalist Aleksandra Bogdani has been awarded the 2015 CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism in the professional journalist category.

The Central European Initiative (CEI) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), in special partnership with the Media Program South East Europe of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), announced on Monday thatBogdani won the award.

“Bogdani has been awarded for her overall professional achievements as an intrepid reporter covering complex stories of human trafficking, organised crime and child abuse, corruption and national security,” the Central European Initiative said in a statement.

“Bogdani has particularly impressed the jury by the courage shown as a woman producing an in-depth series of six investigations on the network of recruiters who send hundreds of Albanian Muslims off to fight in the Syrian civil war as jihadists for the Islam State of Iraq and Levant, ISIS and the al-Nusra front,” it added.

With more than a decade of experience working as a reporter, editor and deputy editor in chief at different media outlets in Albania, including the dailies Mapo, Shekulli and Top News TV, Bogdani joined BIRN Albania’s office in 2014.

In the category of young professional journalist, the 2015 CEI-SEEMO award went to Ukrainian journalist Nadia Burdey. Burdey was recognized as a promising young journalist who follows high professional standards in a difficult environment in which these standards are not widespread

Bogdani and Burdey will officially receive their awards offered by the CEI (4,000 euro and 1,000 euro respectively) at the South East Europe Media Forum in Bucharest, Romania on November 5-6.