Category: News and Events

‘Stop Censorship About War Crimes’ Campaign Launched

The ‘Stop Censorship About War Crimes’ campaign, launched on Wednesday at a conference organised by BIRN in Sarajevo, is calling for the names of war crimes defendants not to be kept anonymous and for full audio and video recordings of all hearings to be made public.

The campaign aims to amend current rulebooks which are denying journalists and ordinary citizens full access to judicial institutions in the country.

BIRN Bosnia editor Erna Mackic said that the state court uses initials instead of full names in war crimes verdicts and that it has stopped issuing full video and audio recordings from hearings.

Mackic added that the state prosecution has also stopped publishing indictments, which and prevents journalists from objectively reporting on trials.

“We want to show that war crimes are always a matter of public interest,” Mackic said.

“We should stop the selective approach of judicial institutions, so that sometimes you have direct feeds of verdicts, and other times you get a ten-minute recording. This is wrong, since crimes are crimes and all crimes are important,” she said.

Mia Karamehic from the Human Rights Centre at the University of Sarajevo said that the practices are absurd because according to the law, hearings are public.

“According to the law, media can attend hearings and report on anything. However, if they are unable and want to get a document from the court, or a verdict, they cannot, which is absurd. This renders war crime trials, for instance, meaningless,” said Karamehic.

She said that judicial institutions are refusing to accept that Bosnian law accepts the primacy of public interest over individuals’ rights to privacy.

Bakira Hasecic, president of the association Women – Victims of War, said that it is vital for victims, and the entire community, to have full access to information about such crimes. It is especially important for future generations, she added.

“We must speak openly about war crimes. If a victim wants to testify publicly, why should a court limit that right? We must end the cycle of silence,” said Hasecic.

Her view was shared by a representative of the International Commission on Missing Persons, Klaudia Kuljuh, who said that the practice breached the right to truth for all war victims and citizens.

“According to the law on missing persons in Bosnia, all victims have the right to know the truth,” said Kuljuh.

“Victims come to ask and ask about their lost loved ones. It is natural that they want to know how they died and who is responsible. That information is hidden in verdicts and this is why we want to see all institutions publish all data,” she said.

To take part in the campaign, see www.justice-report.com and www.depo.ba or call the toll-free number: +387 33 911 555. More information about the campaign and related events is also available at the Facebook page: STOP cenzuri o ratnim zlocinima.

BIRN Holds Sarajevo Debate on Post-War Memorialisation

BIRN presented the results of its investigation into memorialisation in the Balkans at a round-table debate in Sarajevo on Thursday, where participants discussed the problems caused by the post-war monument-building boom in the former Yugoslav region.

The in-depth investigation examines how different states and ethnic groups use monuments to promote their own versions of past events, how governments use them to manipulate history for political advantage, and how they are used as a tool for nation-building in the region.

It was put together by reporters from BIRN’s Balkan Transitional Justice project in seven countries across the region.

The debate was led and moderated by Sarajevo-based researcher and memorialisation expert Nicolas Moll.

Participants included by Amra Custo from the Institute for Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of the Sarajevo canton, Petar Todorov from the National Institute of History from Skopje, Ljubinka Petrovic Ziemer from forumZFD, Almina Jerkovic from the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as representatives from an organisation called Four Faces of Omarska.

For more information, see the Conflicting Memories focus page: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/page/balkan-transitional-justice-memorialisation-conflicting-memories

 

UN Urged to Probe Hague Tribunal Controversy

Balkan rights activists have asked the UN to investigate alleged political influences on recent Hague Tribunal acquittals after controversial allegations by one of the court’s judges.

Scores of human rights organisations, journalists and legal experts wrote to the United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday calling for a probe into allegations made by a Hague judge in a leaked letter in which he criticised the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, ICTY.

“We ask you, due to the absence of [relevant] procedures in the ICTY’s statute, to use your authority and order an immediate and thorough investigation which will determine whether there has been a violation of articles 12 and 13 of the ICTY statute which guarantee the independence of the judges, their impartiality, integrity and high moral virtues,” said the appeal to the UN.

“Without this investigation and the public presentation of the results, suspicion about fairness of the verdicts of the ICTY will permanently mark the work of this important institution of international law,” it continued.

The letter to the UN secretary-general was supported by over 100 non-governmental organisations and individuals in the region including BIRN.

Frederik Harhoff, a Danish judge at the ICTY, a court set up by the UN, became the centre of controversy after his private letter criticising the recent acquittals of Serbian and Croatian wartime commanders was leaked and published by international media earlier this month.

Harhoff wrote that he had heard that the Tribunal’s president Theodor Meron allegedly put pressure on other judges to approve the acquittals in recent months of Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, Yugoslav general Momcilo Perisic and Serbian security officials Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic.

The Tribunal’s chief prosecutor, Serge Brammertz said on Monday that his office would not be commenting on the email, but added he was “concerned about destructive elements in the debate that has followed the letter’s publication”.

He added that the Hague court must “make allowance for valid criticism” and use the constructive aspects of the debate generated by the letter as a springboard for strengthening its processes.

“Our key objective is to see the ICTY, through its remaining work, convincingly demonstrate the legitimacy of its processes, the high quality of its verdicts and its capacity to secure justice for victims of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia,” said the chief prosecutor.

However one lawyer for a Bosniak war crimes convict has already asked for his sentence to be quashed because of the “bias” revealed by Harhoff’s letter.

The lawyer for former Bosnian Army commander Rasim Delic, who was jailed by the Tribunal but died before the end of his sentence, has filed a motion for the verdict to be overturned.

“Judge Harhoff reveals an unacceptable bias towards the conviction of accused people before the ICTY, a bias which could have been a decisive factor in reaching the final decision to convict Rasim Delic,” lawyer Vasvija Vidovic said in the motion.

BIRN launches special focus page on memorialisation

The ‘Conflicting Memories’ focus page presents the results of an investigation into the post-war Balkan monument-building boom, put together by BIRN’s Balkan Transitional Justice team of journalists from seven countries across the region.

The investigation examines how different states and ethnic groups use monuments to promote their own versions of past events, how governments use them to manipulate history for political advantage, and how they are used as a tool for nation-building in the region.

The focus page includes six features and an interactive map – a guide to the number of memorials built across the Balkans, their cost, and which of them have proved the most controversial and unusual – as well as a photo gallery.

All content is presented in Macedonian, Albanian and Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian as well as in English. 

The focus page was launched ahead of a BIRN debate in Sarajevo which will bring together a panel of experts to discuss memorialisation issues in depth. The event will take place on June 27 at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

To find out more: www.balkaninsight.com/en/page/balkan-transitional-justice-memorialisation-conflicting-memories.

BIRN Bosnia Editor Gives Lecture to US Students

BIRN Justice Report’s deputy editor Denis Dzidic gave a lecture on June 21 in Sarajevo about transitional justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina, organised by the European Union Centre Institute for the International Education of Students Abroad.

The lecture was attended by 24 students from the United States who were taking part in the German European Union Centre of IES Abroad summer programme on Bosnia and Turkey.

The students were in Sarajevo from June 15 to 22, where they met with NGO representatives, government officials and international experts to learn about the challenges the country is facing.

In the first session, Dzidic spoke about war crimes trials and reconciliation processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and especially the role of media in these processes.

He highlighted the problems with establishing the rule of law in post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina and spoke about the changes seen after the departure of the international judges at the Bosnian State Court.

In the second session, Dzidic spoke with a representative of the Ministry for Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina about the political, economic and social fabric of the country today.

Five Journalists Selected in Macedonia

A jury has selected five journalists to support writing investigative stories in collaboration with BIRN Macedonia, SCOOP Macedonia and the Center for Civil Communications.  

The Project for investigative journalism and cooperation between media and civil society is part of the USAID Programme for strengthening the independent media in Macedonia.

After receiving about 50 applications, the jury comprising experienced journalists and editors evaluated the applications.

A short list of ten was drawn up before the jury evaluated and chose the top five.

The competition was close and BIRN Macedonia, SCOOP Macedonia and the Center for Civil Communications said they wished to congratulate the winners and thank to all the journalists who applied.

BIRN Macedonia, SCOOP Macedonia and the Center for Civil Communications also reminded all journalists that another call for applications will be opened in September, and encouraged them to apply.

Applications were evaluated on the basis of several criteria, such as relevance, feasibility, originality as well as the experience of the journalist.

Apart from obtaining financial support to research their ideas and cover their expenses, the winners will receive professional support while conducting their investigations.

The winning journalists are as follows: Aleksandar Pisarev, Ubavka Janevska, Miroslava Simonovska, Vlado Apostolov, Mence Atanasova Toci.

Aleksandar Pisarev is an investigative journalist at the Forum Center for Strategic Research and Documentation. Previously he worked for Forum magazine, Kapital magazine and the newspaper Dnevnik. 

Ubavka Janevska is journalist with more than 20 years experience. Based in Veles she works as a correspondent for the national TV station Channel 5. 

Miroslava Simonovska is a young journalist currently working for the Internet news portal, Plusinfo. She has several years’ experience in the print media and specifies in covering education issues.

Vlado Apostolov is an investigative journalist working for Fokus newspaper with more than 10 years’ experience of the media.

Mence Atanasova-Toci is currently working for the Nova web TV. She has been covering health issues for more than 15 years.

University of Pristina honours US and EU envoys

Hasan Pristina University honoured former special envoys Christopher Hill and Wolfgang Petritsch on Wednesday with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in a ceremony held at the faculty of philology. They were awarded the title for their contribution to the resolution of the Kosovo conflict.

Hill and Petritsch, who worked as the special envoys of the United States and the European Union respectively during attempts to stop the Kosovo conflict in the late 1990s, were honoured for their outstanding contributions to creating conditions for peace, justice, freedom and democracy and increasing opportunities for the development of education, science and academic freedoms in Kosovo.

The rector of Hasan Pristina University, Ibrahim Gashi, opened the ceremony.

“We were lucky to have you and your peoples as our friends during our worst, hardest time,” said Gashi.

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci praised the two former envoys for bringing together the Albanian political spectrum.

“Mr. Hill and Mr. Petritsch stood by Kosovo when Kosovo needed friends the most,” said Thaçi.

The two former envoys also addressed the gathering.

“Kosovo has changed a lot since the time when I was here. You cannot choose your neighbours, but you can live in peace with them,” said Hill.

“The European Union is facing many problems, but Kosovo is moving towards the EU,” said Petritsch.

Petritsch and Hill acted as mediators during the talks between Kosovo Albanians and the Yugoslav authorities at the Rambouillet Conference in 1999 before the NATO bombing campaign ended the conflict.

Petritsch, from Austria, is also a member of BIRN’s Regional Board.

Macedonian Media and NGOs Deem Communication Crucial

Macedonia’s EU integration was subject of a fruitful discussion in which about 20 journalists and NGO representatives participated on June 20 in Skopje.

Several different topics were discussed by the participants who agreed on many matters – but also disagreed on the subject of communication between journalists and civil society organizations.

It was agreed that this communication needed to be a two-way street and that both sides should counsel each other on how to improve their cooperation.

NGOs said that some of the media seemed uninterested in topics they consider important for society and that their research was often not treated and published appropriately.

The journalists for their part told the NGO representatives that they needed quicker reactions from them as topics emerged and a more direct approach to journalists as well as other alternative methods of contact.

The debate was organized as part of the “Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation between Media and Civil Society.”

It was the tenth and last of a series of debates organized as part of the project, which is funded by the USAID programme for strengthening the independent media in Macedonia.

The subjects were selected at a meeting between journalists and NGOs in mid-April.

Other topics include ethnic relations, education and youth, human rights, health and rights of patients, cultural policy, environmental issues, good governance, quality of life and marginalized groups.

BIRN holds debate on post-war memorialization

BIRN’s Balkan Transitional Justice team will hold a debate on memorialisation and the findings of a wide-ranging investigation into the post-war Balkan monument-building boom put together by its journalists from seven countries across the region.

Hundreds of monuments and statues have been built since the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia amid a largely unregulated memorialisation spree that has sometimes exacerbated the divisions that led to war in the first place, rather than promoting reconciliation.

The investigation examines how different states and ethnic groups use monuments to promote their own versions of past events, how governments use them to manipulate history for political advantage, and how they are used as a tool for nation-building in the region.

As part of BIRN’s Balkan Transitional Justice project, the BIRN investigation also examines the question of what kind of monuments should be built to promote peace rather than reviving past disputes.

The debate will be held on June 27, 2013, at Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo.

Debate will bring together a panel of experts to discuss these issues in depth, such as Ljubinka Petrovic – Ziemer, Programme Manager at forum ZFD, expert group on Bosnia’s Transitional Justice Strategy, historians and NGO representatives.

Dowload full Agenda.

Balkan Insight Media Watch Page Launched

BIRN has launched a special focus page on media in the Balkans – the first of its kind in the region.

All media-related news and analysis from the Balkans are now available on Balkan Insight’s Media Watch Page.

It features a brand-new analysis package on the media situation in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia.

It also features a regional analysis on the role of the EU. Some praise the EU for pushing for the adoption of media legislation that meets European standards. But others are more critical, saying that the EU should have been much more proactive in combating growing political pressures on independent media.

The launch comes ahead of the second ‘Speak Up!’ conference on June 20, at which the European Commission will gather hundreds of media experts from all over Europe to discuss media freedom in the Western Balkans and Turkey. 

In its progress reports, the European Commission has repeatedly set out its concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression and the media in the Western Balkans and Turkey, noting that threats to freedom of expression also threaten the foundations on which the “union of values” is built.

In an effort to identify solutions, the European Commission’s ‘Speak Up’ conference is bringing together participants from international, regional and national media organisations, civil society, academia and national administrations.