Dizdarevic Tahmiscija was shortlisted by the award’s global expert jury in the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Peace’ category, with her stories How Excessive Focus on War Crimes Results in Disappointment of Victims and More than Ten Million Marks for Monuments in a Decade Lost for Memorialization and Reparations.
The jury announced a shortlist of 33 stories submitted from 19 countries – a reminder that despite numerous crises facing the media, high-quality journalism remains alive and kicking around the world.
In her first article, Dizdarevic Tahmiscija described how, after the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than 1,100 people were convicted of war crimes. Despite this, prosecutors’ refusal to systematically file indictments against high-ranking perpetrators, fragmentation of complex investigations, slow trials, lack of a strategic approach, politicisation, and lack of support for witnesses resulted in absolute disappointment of victims and their families. This was illustrated by Dizdarevic Tahmiscija through the example of one of the victims who has seen only partial justice in court.
In the second nominated story, the Detektor journalist examined how much money had been genuinely contributed to creating a systematic approach to transitional justice processes, such as memorialisation and reparations, and to ensuring a comprehensive framework focusing on victims and their families.
“It is a distinct honour to be among the nominated journalists from around the world. Especially because this is a confirmation of the importance of stories about transitional justice and giving space to victims who had the courage to tell their stories, thereby placing their trust in me. This is also a reminder that these topics must never cease to be in focus,” said Dizdarevic Tahmiscija.
The Fetisov International Journalism Award promotes universal human values, such as honour, justice, courage, and nobility, through the examples of outstanding journalists from around the world, while “their service and dedication contribute to changing the world for the better”.
The shortlist also included entries from France, the Netherlands, Qatar, Indonesia, Great Britain, the USA, India, Finland, Mexico, Italy, Canada, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, China, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The winners will be announced at an award-giving ceremony to be held in Cyprus on April 22, 2026.