Category: Uncategorized

Life in Kosovo discusses the advisory opinion of the ICJ Tonight

Life in Kosovo will hold a live discussion on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s independence.

What is the ICJ’s opinion? How will this reflect on recognitions of the state of Kosovo? Does the Kosovo side have a strategy for the future? What do the local political parties and civil society say? What are the first
impressions?

To discuss these topics, live on air, Muhamet Hajrullahu will be joined in the studio by:

Jakup Krasniqi – Head of the Assembly of Kosovo
Arsim Bajrami – Professor of Constitutional Law
Blerim Shala – Vice-president of AAK
Haki Abazi – Rockefeller Brothers Foundation

Following this, Life in Kosovo will broadcast an interview with Ivan Vejvoda, a civil society member with a strong influence on the Serb opinion.

The journalist Alban Selimi has prepared an investigative report into suspicious medicine sold in Kosovo. How did Kosovar children consume 10 thousand doses of paracetamol without active substances?

How did the Ministry of Health buy this paracetamol? Who should be held accountable, or are the Ministry officials above the law in this case? Researcher Faton Ademi talks about the sewage that flooded a neighbourhood in Mitrovica.

 

 

Free Places for Balkan Journalists Still Available

Journalists from South East Europe still have time to apply for full scholarship to attend BIRN’s unique Summer School of Investigative Reporting from August 22 to 28 within the Petrovaradin Fortress, in the stunning Fruska Gora National Park.

The deadline to apply for a full scholarship is July 25, while those paying the full course fee have until August 9 to sign up. The course fee of €549 and is all-inclusive, covering tuition, accommodation, meals and extra-curricular tours.

BIRN is looking for mid-career journalists from the Balkans to apply for the scholarship..

BIRN is gathering leading journalists and trainers, both from the Balkans and internationally to provide informative, insightful and entertaining training focused on investigative, computer-assisted and organised crime and corruption journalism, in print and broadcast media.

Confirmed speakers include renowned trainers and presenters Don Ray, Mark Hunter, Luuk Sengers, Gavin Rees, Milorad Ivanovic, Maunela Mareso and the OCCRP training team with Drew Sullivan, Rosemary Armao and Paul Radu.

The summer school will offer a full programme including exercises and round-tables on the changing face of Balkan media ownership, violence against media professionals, and more.
All applicants selected to attend the Summer School will get BIRN’s newly published textbook “Digging Deeper: A Guide for Investigative Journalists in the Balkans” free of charge.

There will also be time to tour the beautiful orchards, vineyards, monasteries and forests in the Fruska Gora National Park.

Finally, all participants will receive a BIRN Summer School certificate.

BIRN will provide all necessary documentation and assistance for applicants that required visas or travel documents.

Third Make Your Own Budget Event

Serbian Ministry of Economy and Regional Development has got the largest amount from the state coffer – 9.2 per cent – during a street event aimed to include citizens in the process of planning the Serbian budget by giving them a chance to show which sectors they consider as priorities in planning public expenditures.

The event, which gathered citizens in front of the municipality building in New Belgrade on July 7th, was organised by BIRN Serbia and its partner organisation Pro Concept as part of the “Skockajte Budzet” campaign.

Citizens were constructing the budget of 656 billion dinars, which is the total ammount of the state budget for 2010, by placing money in 25 boxes (symbolizing the number of ministries).
<!** Image 4 align=”left” alt=”Image 13273″ sub=”Action for the future” >
The Ministry of Economy and Regional Development is followed by Ministry of Health which got 8.7 per cent and Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning – 8.2 per cent whereas the lowest amount from the state coffer has been given to the Minister without Portfolio, Ministry for Diaspora and the country’s Foreign Ministry.

Milos Petrovic, vice president of New Belgrade municipality said that the goal of this action was to see the citizens’ preferences in terms of making the state budget.  

“I am glad that the New Belgrade municipality is the first to join this action as this promotes the active participation of citizens in the process of forming the budget,” Petrovic said.

Such street events will be held in other municipalities in the country in the forthcoming months.

“Skockajte budzet” campaign is part of the larger project “Eye on Public Finances” which was launched in late 2009 by BIRN Serbia and Pro Concept. The aim of the programme is to broaden the understanding and discussion on budget issues among MPs, NA staff, media representatives and CSO’s, as well as to increase the public demand for transparency and accountability.

Life in Kosovo to examine regional cooperation

This Thursday on Life in Kosovo you will follow the debate on the importance of regional cooperation, politically and economically.

The debate will cover different aspects of regional cooperation as free movement, free circulation of goods and the CEFTA free trade agreement.

What are the challenges and problems Kosovo is facing regarding regional cooperation? What more could Kosovo have done regarding regional cooperation and what hasn’t it done? Why does UNMIK still represent Kosovo in regional meetings?

To discuss these and other issues concerning regional cooperation in the studio with Muhamet Hajrullahu will there be officials of the government, representatives of the opposition, representatives of the civil society and experts in the field of European integration.

 

They are:

 

Lirak Çelaj- National Government Coordinator for regional cooperation.
Shenoll Muharremi- Expert of European Integration
Mimoza Kusari-Lila- Vice President of AKR and expert of economy
Ylli Hoxha- Executive Director- Club for Foreign Affairs.

In addition, journalist Muhamet Hajrullahu has looked into the IPA funds for Kosovo.

 

How many millions of Euros have entered Kosovo through these funds? Also, how did the project for the renovation of the Palace of Youth in Prishtina from the IPA funds fail.

In the part Justice in Kosovo, Genc Nimoni covers the process of work permissions for attorneys.

 

Do attorneys have work permission, how do they receive them, should they have them and what are the municipality authorities doing about it?

The highlight of the week is the placement of the projector in the center of the city of Skendaj to view the matches of the World Cup in football.

 

Faton Ademi has been there and will convey the atmosphere of the fans in Skenderaj.

 

 

Alumni Initiative Stories to be Launched

The need for more intensive cooperation among ex-fellows has been recognized, as a result of which the alumni network was established. This network will take on two specific lines of activity: biannual meetings of editors and ex-fellows, and production of joint stories.

Within the alumni network, ex-fellows are encouraged to work together on jointly produced stories that will be promoted on Balkaninsight.com and on the Fellowship website. Alumni fellows may pursue two types of stories: regional stories, which can be produced by teams of several people and tackle issues of importance to the Balkan region; individual stories written along the lines of the analytical pieces regularly published in Balkan Insight. The stories will be selected by the BIRN team according to the following criteria: regional relevance; feasibility; originality; journalistic approach.

 

BIRN will use its own resources and wide network of partner organizations to promote the alumni network and the stories produced within this initiative. Alumni stories will be offered to other media outlets across the region for republication.

 

So far, media outlets have proven highly responsive to stories produced as part of the Fellowship programme. Last year Fellowship stories were republished more than 150 times in the local media alone. BIRN is hoping to accomplish the same level of outreach with the alumni stories and a promotional campaign will be organised to help us meet that goal.

Certificates Presented to Local Community Reporters

On completion of the final training session for local community court reporters, USAID Head of Mission Alan Reed has presented certificates to reporters who have successfully completed the training course.

The Balkans Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, with the support of USAID’s Programme on Judicial Sector Development, has completed a four-month training course for 30 journalists from Bosnia and Herzegovina reporting on war-crimes trials conducted before cantonal and district courts.

On completion of the training course, the journalists were awarded certificates. In the coming period some of the journalists will be given an opportunity to become BIRN correspondents reporting on war-crimes trials in
their towns.

“It is a great pleasure to see journalists coming from various towns in our country gathered in one place. They have shown courage in becoming involved in coming to terms with the past and in war-crimes reporting. The goal of the training course we have organized has been to convey expertise on professional, objective and responsible reporting and, by doing so, to ensure the transparency of trials conducted before local judicial institutions,” BIRN Director Anisa Suceska Vekic said.

Alan Reed said he hoped the reporting on war-crimes trials conducted before local courts would be improved with the help of this training course and other USAID and BIRN initiatives.

“Independent and objective reporting can help improve relations between the public and the media and the transparency of courts, and can contribute to better understanding of the process among the general public. The media and judiciary are natural allies in building a democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Reed said.

The education programme began at the end of March 2010 with the aim of educating journalists on covering war-crimes trials conducted in local courts, as the process of referring “less sensitive cases” to cantonal and
district courts and the Brcko District Court has begun.

BIRN BiH Attends Council of Ministers’ Public Consultations

Denis Dzidic, a BIRN Justice Report journalist, has attended public consultations on “Institutional reform as part of Transitional Justice Strategy preparation in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, held in Zenica.

The two-day public consultations on institutional reform were held in Zenica Hotel on June 23 and 24 this year. More than 60 people, including authorities at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as
representatives of police and judicial institutions, civil society and victims’ associations, took part.

The consultations marked the end of the first phase of the Transitional Justice Strategy preparation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and identified strategic goals which the Strategy should resolve.

A five-year programme of preparation of the State Transitional Justice Strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina began in March this year. The programme is being implemented with the support of the Council of Ministers and the Ministries of Justice and Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP.

The goal of the public consultations is to give an opportunity to participants to discuss the need for adopting a law on checking all government and public institutions employees with the aim of examining their
conduct during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Participants concluded that it is necessary to establish a functional legislative framework to organise the examination of employees’ records and set up an efficient monitoring system to enable implementation of human rights protection mechanisms and increase citizens’ confidence in government institutions.

As announced by the UNDP, the second phase is due to begin soon. As part of the second phase programme plans and activities will be defined in order to ensure implementation of strategic goals. It was also stated that the first draft of the Strategy would be finalized by June next year.

New Obstacles

The Association of Court Reporters, AIS, held a meeting on June 16 at which journalists discussed the removal of indictments from the official web pages of the State Court and its Prosecution.

Erna Mackic informed participants about her conversation with Manuela Hodzic of the Public Relations Section with the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ms Hodzic explained that all indictments were removed from the Court’s web page following an objection from the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data.

Hodzic said the Agency had ordered the removal of indictments, as their publication violated the right of indictes to protection of their personal data, including their first and last names.

Mackic said that, in addition to indictments, the Court would have to remove first and second instance verdicts from its web page, following a request from the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data.

The AIS representatives agreed to lobby publicly for the Agency to change its decision, because depriving journalists of information contained in indictments makes it impossible for them to report comprehensively on the work of judicial institutions, while the general public, which is displaying an interest in following war-crimes trials, is also deprived of information.

The BIRN journalists agreed to contact all relevant actors, including the international community and the Hague Tribunal, and raise the issue of removal of indictments, which should be considered as public documents.

Once it has received necessary information, AIS will prepare an announcement and organize the signing of a petition to have indictments uploaded on the web pages again.

At the AIS meeting Mackic informed participants that she had given a lecture at a conference on “Judiciary and the Media”, organized by the Press Council in late May. Conference participants included journalists, judges and prosecutors from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Brcko District. There was consensus at the conference that stakeholders have not received sufficient guidance on how to establish successful cooperation with the media.

Mackic cited concrete examples of problems facing journalists in their cooperation with local community judges, prosecutors and spokespersons, and the AIS representatives concluded that in light of this the local community educational model that was initiated a year ago should be continued.

Building on past experience, AIS representatives intend to organize training sessions for judges, prosecutors and journalists, followed by a joint meeting in order to try to solve problems that have been identified.

The AIS meeting was attended by Erna Mackic, Anisa Suceska-Vekic, Jasmina Djikoli, Merima Husejnovic, Dragana Erjavec, Dalio Sijah, Marija Tausan, Albina Sorguc and Velma Saric.

Life in Kosovo interviews the Minister of Health

This Thursday, Life in Kosovo, right after the news edition Blic, will broadcast a debate about the election of the head of Kosova Chamber of Commerce and another debate about domestic products and Kosovar producers.

BIRN will also transmit an interview with the Minister of Health, Bujar Bukoshi, about the problems at QKUK, Kosovo’s largest hospital, and the sacking of Ali Sadrija from his position of director.

Who is going to be the new head of Kosova Chamber of Commerce? Will the Chamber of Commerce become politicised? Is Kosovo totally dependent on food imported from Serbia? Is protecting domestic products an obligation of consumers or the government?

 

In the first debate about the election of the head of Kosova Chamber of Commerce, Muhamet
Hajrullahu will be joined by:

Safet Gërxhaliu, candidate for the head of Kosova Chamber of Commerce and Ramiz Kelmendi, candidate for the head of Kosova Chamber of Commerce

In the second debate, moderated by Edona Musa, domestic products and Kosovar producers will be discussed.

How much local potential is there for producing domestic products? Is protecting domestic products an obligation of consumers or the g overnment? What is happening with the deal of CEFTA, the Central European Free Trade Agreement? What is the level of food quality control in Kosovo?

To discuss these and other issues, guests in the studio will be:

Flamur Keqa, Head of Trading and Industry Ministry Department
Berat Rukiqi, secretary of Kosova Chamber of Commerce
Ismet Bojku, member of Kosovo Business Alliance Board
Visar Ymeri, from Vetëvendosje

Through the debate, BIRN also transmits a reportage prepared by the journalist Artan Haraçia, about some shops that do not sell Serbian products.

At the end, you can see the reportage of Petrit Kryeziu about the problems between the principle of the elementary school Fatmir Berisha in Prizren and some teachers from this school.


Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and theBalkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday,starting at 20:20.