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NED and OSCE support for BIRN BiH

The National Endowment for Democracy, NED, and the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina will support BIRN’s Radio Justice Project.

Radio Justice started daily broadcasts on August 11, 2008. Twice a day, radio and some television stations around the country transmit our audio reports, produced by BIRN – Justice Report staff. Reports can also be downloaded from our web site, in the Radio Justice section.

This project will expand BIRN BiH’s presence in the broadcast media around Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously BIRN BiH’s project consisted of brief written reports covering trials in the front of the War Crimes Chamber at the State court. Reports are transmitted daily to newspapers around the country.
 
In 2007, the National Endowment for Democracy supported BIRN’s Justice Report publication. The OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina gave support for the creation of the pilot programmes for the Radio Justice at the beginning of 2008.

Radio Justice

BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina’s new project, Radio Justice, started broadcasting daily reports on August 11, 2008.

Every day Radio Justice will transmit two audio reports, published by Justice Report – www.bim.ba, as part of its regular activities. The reports will be produced by our staff and sent as e-mail attachments to more than 80 different media in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad.

A new staff member has joined our team. Journalist Jasmina Djikoli will be responsible for the reports transmitted as part of the Radio Justice programme.

Reports can be downloaded from our website, in the Radio Justice section, http://www.bim.ba/?tpl=342.

The goal of Radio Justice is to make the work of BIRN – Justice Report and its war crime trials reports available to as many people as possible.

The OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and National Endowment for Democracy, NED, provide financial support for BIRN BiH’s Radio Justice programme.

For additional information on Radio Justice programme please write to: [email protected]

Justice Report Quoted in ICTJ report

The International Center for Transitional Justice, ICTJ, published a report entitled “War Crimes Chamber in Bosnia and Herzegovina: From Hybrid to Domestic Court (2008)”, in which it refers to BIRN – Justice Report articles.

The Report pertains to the work of the War Crimes Chamber of the State Court in Sarajevo. You can read a detailed review at http://www.bim.ba/en/1/80/13959/.

ICTJ is an organization that helps countries determine responsibility for mass crimes and human rights violations in the past. The Center offers information on comparative practices, legal and political analysis, documentation and strategic research to institutions in pursuit of justice and truth, non-governmental organizations, governments and others. The Center has been active on the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 2002. It focuses on capacity building in the field of transitional justice.

BIRN – Justice Report is an agency that specializes in reporting trials conducted before the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as transitional justice issues and the general effort to confront the past in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Reporting from Kosovo

Caglavica – BIRN Serbia organised a round table at Caglavica’s Media centre on Friday September 12 addressing the issue of reporting from Kosovo for Serbian media.

The event gathered 15 journalists, mainly correspondents of Belgrade-based media who were interested to discuss the picture Serbian media paints regarding Kosovo and life there after independence was declared in February 2008.

The panelists were Miki Mihajlovic from the Office for communications for the Serbian Government, Tanja Petrovic, media researcher and analyst from Belgrade as well as Pedja Obradovic, deputy editor at the Belgrade daily Blic.
 
In an almost three hour long and lively debate, the guests from Belgrade presented their views on the challenges of reporting from Kosovo and the impact that it has on Serbian public.
 
Petrovic presented a study on media coverage of events that followed the declaration of independence as well as the act itself.  The results of the research showed that Serbian media were mainly focused on reporting from a Serbian perspective. In depth analysis and features about life in Kosovo took the smallest slice of media coverage of the situation in Kosovo.
 
Mihajlovic gave an overview of the policy of the Serbian government towards Kosovo, stressing that Belgrade will support media outlets for Serbs in Kosovo. Government has no influence on media reports, argued Mihajlovic, but is interested in keeping the Kosovo issue high on the agenda, as well as preserving Serbian media in Kosovo. He also called on representatives of the local media to apply for grants which the Serbian government wants to establish for helping media.
 
Obradovic talked about editorial policy and the importance of journalists’ initiative. He said Kosovo is the important issue for Belgrade media but mainly in a political context, as a part of overall Serbian political climate and these days especially in terms of foreign policy, which leaves little space for local reporters’ contribution. In spite of that, good stories on life in Kosovo can always attract attention and get coverage in the media, noted Obradovic, stressing that reporters are not offering enough attractive material.
 
Journalists from Kosovo used this chance to talk as well about problems that they are facing in terms of safety, access to information and bad economic situation. Freelance journalist Nikola Besevic from Pristina said that everything depends on the editorial policies of Belgrade-based media and that journalists who work for it have little scope for initiative. Refki Alija from Prizren said that media are only interested in disputes and not the struggles of everyday life in Kosovo, or any positive example.
 
The debate highlighted that journalists from Kosovo do not have enough support from Serbia and they were very disappointed by the treatment of the Serbian broadcasting company – RTS. One of the participants said you could not use the same language today in 21st century as the one have been using 20 years ago, when you report on the situation in Kosovo.
 
“We need a new language in journalism if we want to produce true stories,” he said.
 
This event is a part of BIRN’s project entitled, Minority Media Training and Reporting supported by the National Endowment for Democracy.

Life in Kosovo discusses Justice in Kosovo

This Thursday, BIRN’s Life in Kosovo current affairs debate show will evaluate the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK’s performance in the post-war Kosovo’s justice system, nine years after it was set up.

The debate will also discuss the impact of the Hajra case, where an entire family was murdered in 2001. This case was closed last week.

Are UNMIK trials fair or were there compromises made when it was difficult to ensure sufficient witnesses and evidence? How do post-war societies deal with collaborators from previous regimes? Has Kosovo

been deprived of a process of lustration, similar to what other

post-communist eastern European countries went through?

To discuss these issues and more, BIRN has invited the following panelists:

Vahide Braha, lawyer;
Robert Dean, head of the Department of Justice;
Abdyl Mushkolaj, from the association of KLA veterans; 
Skender Halilaj, former KLA member.

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.

Life in Kosovo discussed about the Emergence in Kosovo

This Thursday BIRN’s Life in Kosovo current affairs debate show will focus on that how much Kosovo is ready for emergency cases, do we have capacity to confront with some of the nature fatalities, various earthquake or a huge fire.

Are the institutions ready to confront with this kind of situations? Do we have a plan for emergence reaction? Who covers the security section?

To discuss these issues and more, in the studio were:

Bislim Zyrapi – Emergence director in the ministry of Internal affairs;
Pashk Buzhala –Emergence Departmant, Ministry of Health;
Basri Lenjani – Director of the Emergence Centre in Kosovo;
Lumturije Behrami – Professor of the protection and insequre;
Florian Qehaja – Kosovar Center for Inesequre Studies and fancier
of political insequre;

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

Belgrade Insight Resumes after Summer Break

After the successful launch and publication in May, June and July, Belgrade Insight, BIRN`s new project and a unique English-language newspaper in Serbia, will be resuming publication in September.

The readers will have the opportunity to enjoy Belgrade Insight articles, stay informed on the latest political and business news, browse through the city’s cultural and arts guide and read about the most interesting events in the countries of the region.
 
Beginning in September, Belgrade Insight will be published on a regular basis. For more information on how to subscribe and receive your copy, please contact BIRN office in Belgrade at [email protected]

Balkan Insight Coverage of Karadzic Arrest

One of the central issues for the region is the arrest of top war crimes fugitive, Radovan Kardzic.

Balkan Insight followed daily the events surrounding his arrest and transfer to the ICTY in the Hague. Balkan Insight published nearly 50 news items on Karadzic arrest and 8 in-depth analysis and reports, attracting 40,000 visits to the website in ten days. Balkan Insight pieces were quoted by outlets such as Guardian, Russia Today, BBC UK, CSEES, Courrier des Balkans, Radio Free Europe and others.

Balkan Insight editors and contributors gave numerous interviews and comments for international outlets such as Deutsche Welle, Radio 5 – London, WDR, NBC Online, Radio BBC – live, TV BBC, and Independent.

Justice Report Hosts American Students

BIRN – Justice Report hosted a group of students from California in July for the second year running.

As a part of their study visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, students from the San Domenico School in California, USA, paid a visit to the BIRN – Justice Report office in Sarajevo. They met editor Nidzara Ahmetasevic and journalists, Aida Alic and Merima Husejnovic.

During this visit, Justice Report journalists discussed war crimes investigations in Bosnia, the role of media, and the challenges facing Bosnian society after the war.

Professor Ian Sether, head of the Department for History at San Domenico School, informed us that students are regular readers of BIRN reports, and use them for their studies as well as for articles on human rights issues published in their student newspaper Aeqvitas.

Justice Report in HRW Report on Bosnia

On July 10, Human Rights Watch published their report on war crimes prosecution in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Still Waiting: Bringing Justice for War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Cantonal and District Courts.”

BIRN – Justice Report is quoted several times in the report and praised for its work in covering war crimes trails in the country.

The report details numerous practical and political problems impeding these trials on a local level. The obstacles include the prosecutors’ offices lack sufficient staff and the lack of specialisation. Cooperation between prosecutors and police and between police across entity lines continues to be problematic.

Witness protection measures are rarely, if ever, employed, and witness support services are generally not available. Prosecutors often fail to make use of the available sources of evidence and do not take steps necessary to secure the suspects’ attendance at trial. Defence attorneys generally lack access to training in relevant areas of law and are often inadequately, or not at all, compensated for their work. Some cantonal and district courts have yet to try a single case. The report is available at: http://hrw.org/reports/2008/bosnia0708/