Balkan Investigative Reporting Network
Florinda completed her studies in “Media and Communication” at the University for Business and Technology, where she dreamed about becoming a journalist.
In July 2023, she began as an intern at BIRN and soon after became a junior journalist.
Her focus lies in local governance in the municipalities of the North and South, monitoring court sessions, and reporting on other sectors related to the Mitrovica region.
Florinda has participated in journalism training programs, including KALLXO Rinia and the School for Investigative Journalism – Çohu.
She is known for her positive personality and persistence in obtaining answers.
Arbrita Uka began her career as a journalist at BIRN in March 2023.
She is studying Physics and is passionate about Astronomy. Her curiosity and drive for research led her to pursue journalism. Previously, she was engaged in volunteer work and led youth groups in Kosovo.
In March 2022, she represented Kosovo at the Youth Congress for Environmental Education in Prague. Known for her honesty and attention to detail, she firmly believes that humanity has landed on the Moon and that the Earth is not flat. She enjoys stargazing, either with the naked eye or through a telescope, and is a devoted fan of the football team Liverpool.
Agron Halitaj has worked in journalism for over 20 years. He joined the BIRN team on February 1, 2024.
Throughout his career, he has worked as a political journalist and has held senior editorial positions in several media outlets in Kosovo. He is an opinion writer and an award-winning journalist. He defines the role of journalists in society with Frans Timmermans’ saying: “If journalists fall silent, our freedom is lost.”
Selma joined Detektor (BIRN BiH) team in November 2024 as a journalist and court monitor.
She has a Master’s degree in Communication Studies from the Faculty of Political Science in Sarajevo, during which she also spent some time on a student exchange program in Germany.
Selma began her journalism career in 2020 on Hayat TV as a journalist and reporter. She is one of the authors of the documentary film Golden Lilies.
During her studies, she worked on various projects and campaigns advocating for people with disabilities at the humanitarian and development NGO “People In Need” in the Czech Republic.
She has won journalism awards for topics such as “The Role of Media and Media Reporting in Peacebuilding” and for the best socially responsible story in the “Media Incubator” project in collaboration with the Goethe Institute, focusing on the economic empowerment of people with disabilities, caled “I can’t try if you don’t give me a chance”.
She is one of the authors of the story “Hands That Read”. In 2023, she won an award for the best journalistic story on Bosnia’s EU accession process, awarded by the Directorate for European Integration.
Her journalistic work is dedicated to reporting on human rights, especially people with disabilities and children, as well as war crimes in Bosnia and cybersecurity-related topics.
Hana joined Detektor (BIRN BiH) in November 2024 as a journalist.
Having just joined the Detektor newsroom Hana is still exploring her areas of interest, but she came to BIRN BiH with the belief that it is crucial to tell human stories and highlight such critical issues in society as corruption, crimes, human rights violations and more.
Previously, she worked as a journalist for the public broadcaster, Federation Television (FTV). She also collaborated with other media outlets on issues concerning culture, education and the social sector.
She has participated in various journalism schools, including the Deutsche Welle Academy and the BIRN Regional Exchange Program, through which she spent a month in Tirana, Albania working for the media outlet Citizens’ Channel.
She graduated with a degree in Comparative Literature as best student from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Sarajevo.
Lejla joined Detektor (BIRN BiH) in May 2024, as journalist.
Before joining the Detektor newsroom, she worked as a journalist at Radio Sarajevo for three years. She graduated with a degree in journalism from the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Sarajevo in 2017.
She is engaged on trial reporting, as well as on topics related to corruption and the judiciary.
Lejla is the author of the weekly Detektor newsletter. She authored Detektor’s campaign, “16 days of activism against gender-based violence”, for 2024, and is currently working on the Judicial Transparency Index report.
Mirza Halilcevic joined the BIRN BiH team in June 2024 as Project Manager.
In the last 10 years, he has worked in the field of human rights, writing and coordinating projects and reporting for several media outlets on the position of minorities in Bosnia, with a focus on LGBTIQA rights.
He has also gained experience in advocacy, fundraising, coordinating PR campaigns and event production.
He is a collaborator with several local and international organisations in Bosnia.
He completed his Bachelor and Master’s studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo at the Department of Sociology.
At BIRN BiH, he manages projects in the field of rule of law, digital rights and transitional justice, as well as projects related to the strategic development of the BIRN BiH office.
Jasmin Begic joined Detektor (BIRN BiH) in July 2021 as a journalist.
As a court monitor, he reports on war crimes and police matters, often focusing on court practices and unprocessed war-crimes cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 2022, Jasmin filmed the project Months of the Siege, which included stories from Sarajevo citizens who had survived the longest siege in modern history, trying to survive on humanitarian aid and even collecting rainwater for drinking. Many lost close family members who were killed by shelling or sniper attacks on Sarajevo.
Their testimonies were put on the special website of BIRN BiH published on the 30th anniversary of the start of the siege.
In the same year, Jasmin received a UNICEF award for his contribution to children’s rights, for writing about the country’s non-compliance with judgments of the Constitutional Court, due to which many pupils in Bosnia spent another school year in a segregated educational system.
In 2023, together with his colleague, Nermina Kuloglija-Zolj, Jasmin researched disciplinary proceedings conducted against police officers in Bosnia. This revealed that a large number of these cases have lapsed under the statute of limitations, as well as light punishments imposed on police who violate the law.
He is currently engaged in the “Missing Children” project, which will include a video base with stories about 50 children who went missing during Bosnia’s war – a topic about which he has already published several reports.
Jasmin graduated in Journalism from the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Sarajevo.
Since 2009, he worked at the media outlets Source.ba and Television of Canton Sarajevo, where he spent 10 years working as a reporter before joining the BIRN BiH team.
Apart from journalism, he is interested in documentaries, cycling, reading, playing football and climbing mountains.
Gordana Andric is a Belgrade-based journalist and editor.
She first joined BIRN as a journalist in 2010 and later worked as a managing editor of BIRN’s English language website Balkan Insight.
After spending four years with BBC World Service, she now works with BIRN Serbia.
Andric has managed teams of journalists, investigative reporters and editors from more than ten countries across the Balkans and Black Sea region.
Indira joined BIRN Hub in October 2023 as a Finance Officer. She is based in BIRN Hub’s Sarajevo office.
Her main responsibilities include providing support for financial and administrative tasks and duties for finance, operations and programme department.
She graduated at the University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Economics. Indira has over 15 years of experience in NGOs and media.
