Tag: Bosnia and Herzegovina

On May 29, the Srebrenica Memorial Centre and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BIRN BiH, organised a sample class in Potocari for teachers, representatives of education ministries and pedagogical institutes and students. The class was dedicated to the case study of the genocide committed in Srebrenica.

Speaking about the history of studying the conflicts in the 1990s in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Professor Melisa Foric Plasto, from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Sarajevo, recalled that the first content was introduced in textbooks in 1993 and 1994, and that following the signing of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, the media became active about having content about the war reviewed and parts considered potentially offensive removed.

She added that, in 2000, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe advocated the temporary suspension of teaching about the 1992-1995 period until historians in Bosnia had established a common approach to studying this period in schools.

She explained that the Sarajevo Canton was the first to introduce the study of the War in Bosnia into the educational system in 2018. After that, it was introduced in Republika Srpska, and then also in other cantons in the Federation entity.

Analyzing the available textbooks, Foric Plasto said that there was a noticeably different interpretation of the nature of the 1992-1995 war, and a selective presentation of facts, and the qualification of the war itself varied depending on where the topic was studied.

Where students learn Bosnian and Croatian languages, textbooks state that aggression was committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, she said, while in Republika Srpska, they state it was a civil war.

She added that in cantons with Bosniak majority, the term “genocide” is mentioned in textbooks, while this term is not mentioned in textbooks in Republika Srpska or in cantons with a Croatian majority.

“I would like to recall the role of history, especially in conflict and post-conflict societies, as it can actually help better understanding, tolerance and trust among peoples, and can be a means of supporting peace,” Foric Plasto said, after which she presented what a school class could look like and suggested performing certain activities with students aimed at teaching them about the genocide committed in Srebrenica.

BIRN BiH journalist Haris Rovcanin presented the Database of Judicially Established Facts for the region of Srebrenica, where, as he said, the facts about genocide and other crimes were established in 11 verdicts delivered by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY.

He added that the Database was not intended only for ministries of education, professors and students, but also for everyone who was interested in the topic of the War in Bosnia and the genocide committed in Srebrenica, and that the goal was to create a tool for a joint fight against denial and minimization of crimes and established facts.

“The goal was not to determine who was convicted for which individual act, but to record what trial chambers established in several cases, regardless of whether individual criminal responsibility was determined or not,” Rovcanin said, adding that the verdicts stated a huge number of crimes in the area of Srebrenica and the wider region.

BIRN BiH director Denis Dzidic recalled that this agency was founded principally to monitor all war crime trials, and that it represented a pioneering process of striving to make the knowledge, expertise, and what has been established by court judgements, more accessible to the educational system.

“We visited all education ministries in the past few months hoping that this will be accepted as a platform that would depend mostly on your work, because you are the ones who have the knowledge and can make this alive,” Dzidic told the participants, including representatives of the education ministry, pedagogical institutes and teachers.

Emir Suljagic, Director of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, said there was nothing that had a permanent effect on reality like knowledge, adding that the goal of the sample class was to come up with a document or framework from which “students in Bihac and Gorazde will learn the same about Srebrenica”.

He said one basic problem was the fact that the dominant part of what we know about Srebrenica has emerged from court proceedings, which do not focus on the broader historical context and establishing the truth, but on witnesses and survivors recounting only what was relevant for the acts charged against the defendants in court.

This year, BIRN BiH is a strategic partner of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre in marking the 30th anniversary of the genocide.

This year, three organisations dedicated to transitional justice are leading study trips for students on the events of the 1992-5 war in Bosnia and are preparing materials for history teachers to teach about the past based on judicially established facts.

These facts will be supplemented by the verdicts of domestic courts, as part of activities within a broader project for building long-term peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In collaboration with the Srebrenica Memorial Centre and the Forgotten Children of War Association, this year, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BIRN BiH, is launching an educational initiative for senior class students and teachers on judicially established facts about the war in order to foster dialogue and the fight against denial of judicially established facts about the war.

BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina will draw on its experience from the past 20 years, during which it has focused on issues of transitional justice and reporting on war crimes.

“Although the prosecution of war crimes cases is now coming to a close, we continue to see historical revisionism, genocide denial, war crimes denial and relativization, as well as glorification of perpetrators, even among young people,” BIRN BiH director Denis Dzidic explains.

Following a recommendation of the Council of Europe to temporarily suspend teaching on the 1992-1995 period, since 2018 the topic has returned to curricula and textbooks.

“Research shows that there is no universal approach to this issue in schools throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Dzidic notes.

It is for this reason that the three organisations wish to encourage critical perceptions among young people about the war in Bosnia through the education system and oppose historical revisionism, as well as emphasize the importance of factual knowledge of war circumstances.

BIRN BiH will expand its database of judicially established facts that includes verdicts of the International Criminal Tribunal, ICTY, in the Hague, with verdicts passed down by courts in Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia, with a focus on the suffering and war crimes rather than on the perpetrators. A new digital platform of the database will be developed, making it more accessible to children and young people.

“Based on this database, a handbook for history teachers on how to teach about the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be developed. This project is implemented in cooperation with education ministries across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in consultation with history teachers. We want to create a space for dialogue, critical reflection on the past, and a healthier future for young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Dzidic explains.

BIRN BiH, together with its other partners, will also organise study tours to Srebrenica, Tuzla and Sarajevo, and prepare trainings for history teachers on how to use the materials derived from this database in class when teaching about the past.

The project “Building Long-Term Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Investing in the Future”, supported by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund, PBF, promotes fact-based learning, the development of critical thinking, and intergenerational dialogue – to strengthen trust and build a more resilient and inclusive future for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since becoming eligible for the UN’s Peace Building Fund’s support, Bosnia has advanced six active peacebuilding initiatives focusing on social cohesion, transitional justice and the engagement of women and youth, with a total investment of about 16 million US dollars, Ingrid MacDonald, Resident Coordinator of the UN in Bosnia, explained.

“By fostering fact-based multi-perspective education about the past conflicts, this initiative in particular equips young people with the tools to think critically, confront denial and engage with diverse narratives, laying the groundwork for more informed, inclusive and resilient society,” MacDonald added.

This initiative is not only an investment in education, but in the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, she added.

PBF is the UN’s leading instrument to invest in prevention and peacebuilding, in partnership with the wider UN system, national and subnational authorities, civil society organisations, regional organisations and multilateral banks. The Fund supports joint UN responses to address critical peacebuilding opportunities, connecting development, humanitarian, human rights and peacebuilding pillars.

The video testimony is part of “Lives Behind the Fields of Death”, a joint project of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BIRN BiH, and the Srebrenica Memorial Centre.

It was among 25 other works of art that were selected as the best within the NO-OBLIVION project this year.

The story told by Emina Hajdarevic was the only video selected, and it impressed the jury the most, so they decided to award it the first prize.

Presenting the video in front of nearly a hundred participants, Lamija Grebo said that “Lives Behind the Fields of Death” was one of the most special projects she ever worked on during a ten-year career filled with survivors’ stories.

“I am particularly proud of this award as a regional recognition, because a lot of effort has been invested in this project, and the survivors have placed confidence in us, for which I will always be grateful,” Grebo said.

According to her, personal stories are the point at which people can connect through the personal tragedy and pain inflicted by war, so it is important that projects such as “Lives Behind the Fields of Death” have a lasting life as testimonies to grave crimes.

“This award is also important because we witness the denial of genocide and other crimes as well as the glorification of war criminals on a daily basis, and art is one of the ways to fight against that,” Grebo said.

Her work will also be presented at the Reviving Balkan Arts Festival to be held in Croatia in early April.

In addition to the video, which is now part of the permanent exhibition of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, this year’s online exhibition Remembering through Art also features posters, photographs and paintings by 24 authors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Greece, Portugal and Poland.

All the works are dedicated to preserving the lessons of history and promoting justice and reconciliation.

Second prize went to Vasilika Siatara from Greece for a painting called “Signs and Memories”, which got the same number of points as the award-winning artwork – but her prize will be of monetary nature.

Third prize went to Bosnian photographer Dzenat Drekovic for a photo essay “The Noise of Silence”, which tells the story of the notorious Omarska detention camp.

Fourth prize was awarded to Ioana-Cristina Bobe for “Trampled Pride”, inspired by the testimonial of Grozdana Cecez, a victim of wartime sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The exhibition and prize competition are part of the NO-OBLIVION project, funded by the European Union, which focuses on remembering the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and ensuring that the voices of victims and witnesses are not forgotten.

The initiative is supported by eight European organisations that are fostering additional connections between those whose goal is to turn art into a special tool for dealing with the past.

Journalism has attracted her since high school, as has literature. “At that time, I did not think that I would work in an organisation like BIRN. However, I thought about journalism as an important profession, which I still think today – about journalists as heroes and as people who help others,” she says.

“I started working at university as a student on the radio and 20 years flew by like that. I also worked in many media where I learned about different types of journalism from very good journalists – but I have gained a unique dimension of work and skills through the years at BIRN,” Dzana adds.

Over the past 12 years, BIRN has evolved and grown, she says.

“The organisation grew in every sense, as did I, along with it. For example, BIRN BiH dealt with war crimes that year and slowly started to monitor corruption. Today, there is almost no segment we don’t report on besides this, from terrorism and human rights to discrimination, foreign influences and people on the move. Investigative stories now are at an enviable level and BIRN as an organisation is recognisable not only in the region but also beyond,” she explains.

Before joining BIRN, her great love was video journalism, and she worked on TV because it was a challenge and an opportunity to express creativity. She is especially proud of two of her documentaries, Pod zemljom (Underground) and Četiri zida (Four Walls), which she authored.

“Underground is a story about children who were born literally four meters underground, where a hospital was built during the [Bosnian] war. Around 500 babies were born and hundreds of lives were saved there. I was fascinated by the story, the heroism, and the strength of my interlocutors,” she says.

“The second film is about the relationship between our society and politicians in the region towards the LGBT community in which I made an effort to make viewers aware of the discrimination and violence that this community unfortunately lives with.

“I like to think about how to tell a story, show emotion and convey the actual situation to the viewer. Most of all, I like teamwork on documentary films with fellow editors, cameramen and others from whom I have learned much. I’m always grateful to people who share their life stories with us, and, as in other formats, when we work, I try to do it in the best and most professional way,” Dzana says.

Dzana has won several awards. The European Union Investigative Journalism Awards and the Special Award of the European Press Prize have special meaning for her. They are also important at a time of attacks on independent media and denials of freedoms.

“For years, I was a journalist reporting from war crimes trials, interviewing victims from the past war, recording their fates and the searches for family members of the missing,” she says.

“I knew that these topics were not among the most read and that many people on social networks hid me because they said I always write difficult and sad things, but we worked on them for the sake of all those waiting for justice. So, when our newsroom received the European Press Prize for reporting on war crimes, it was an important recognition for me and all BIRN journalists,” she recalls.

“Awards for investigative journalism are really like wind at the back and a big plus. At a time of attacks on independent media and denials of freedoms, they are extremely important. And, let’s be realistic, such stories are often the ones that reveal things that are the work of the police or prosecutors,” she says.

Besides all of this, she trains young journalists and students at workshops on reporting on victims, missing persons, court reporting and investigative journalism.

“I do my best to pass on my knowledge to younger colleagues. Apart from the truth about our work, I try to show them that there is no better profession and greater satisfaction than when we help someone with our stories, discover something, or help them understand.

“I also try to present research as interesting and the work as fun because sometimes it is like that. It’s hard but it’s worth it, and I want to convey that feeling to them.

“I always leave the young with a new perspective on the topic we discussed because then they see things differently. They often remind me that we were all once young and inexperienced, and this is what I tell them – whoever works makes mistakes, and you won’t learn if you don’t try. But with reading, work, and education, progress will come.

“I am happy when I get a message from one of them whom I have motivated to do a story, when they get a job, or when they tell me that my mentoring meant something to them,” Dzana says.

She enjoys working on video and documentary stories the most. But it’s also the most difficult part of her work:

“As an editor, I generally miss the field, being more on set and talking to people. That’s what I love the most, though it’s also the most difficult thing for me because the stories about war crimes that we recorded are simply painful, human…

“Working with parents who have lost their children, with those who are still searching, and with victims of sexual violence is the most difficult, in that these stories follow you; you carry them home, you do not forget those fates, their words. But at the same time they motivate you to help them in the way that we journalists can, in the fight for truth and justice.

“When I’m driving around Bosnia and Herzegovina and I see signs with the names of settlements and villages, I start telling my passengers what happened there. Whether we like it or not, those stories have become a part of us,” she says.

The one thing she lacks is more spare time and time to do everything she wants to do – but journalism helps her with that, as well.

“Sometimes, we work at night and from home because that’s the nature of our work. I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt and a granddaughter… While I visit everyone, a little time is left for friends, the occasional movie, and a book.

“I like to travel; if I could, I would visit new places all the time. Luckily, journalism made it possible for me as well,” she concludes.

More than 300 guests from all over the region joined BIRN in Bosnia and Herzegovina as it celebrated the first 20 years of its existence.

Friends and partners but also others who have in some way shaped the work of the Detektor team over the past two decades enjoyed remembering key moments in the development of the organisation.

BIRN BiH Executive Director Denis Dzidic expressed pride in the work of the entire organisation and his own satisfaction over having worked for Detektor in various roles over the past 17 years.

“We are ready to welcome the third decade of Detektor’s existence with a new appearance of all our content. I remember the beginnings, when this was a small team, and today I can proudly say that we are a large organisation with an important mission, whose existence, idea and essence are my motive for its even greater growth,” Dzidic said.

Guests were presented with the new look of the Detektor.ba website, as well as the new logo that the organisation will present to the public from the beginning of 2025.

New trailers and jingles for the monthly episodes of Detektor TV and Detektor Magazine were presented, which will be part of the new appearance of the entire organisation.

In addition, a newsletter was presented as a new communication channel through which all Detektor followers will receive a weekly overview of the most important happenings in Bosnia, the region and the world, concerning all investigative pieces, analyses, multimedia, and other content produced by the outlet as well as a publication on journalists’ work so far.

“This year, we presented two documentaries, Samir Mehic Bowie – Letters from Srebrenica and Justice and Truth. Both deal with the topics of memorialization, transitional justice and remembrance, and this is only the beginning because in the near future we will have premieres of many other films with different themes, which we have been preparing for years,” Dzidic announced.

The celebration was an opportunity for newer members of the team to meet those who have made a huge contribution to the existence of BIRN BiH over previous decades.

Nerma Jelacic, one of the founders of the organisation and president of the BIRN BiH Assembly, addressed the audience, expressing her joy about the growth of the organisation over two decades.

“I am glad to see all these people and how much the organisation has grown. I am happy with all the positive steps forward and I am especially grateful to all those who support BIRN’s work, and I hope they will continue to do so in future,” Jelacic said.

BIRN BiH is a non-governmental media organisation based in Sarajevo, specializing in monitoring and reporting on war crimes, corruption and terrorism trials.

BIRN BiH journalists have become a leading source for the public on transitional justice, the rule of law and extremism, as well as on malign foreign influences, cybersecurity, human and digital rights.

Over 20 years, almost 40,000 articles have been published on the Detektor.ba portal. They include numerous investigative pieces and analyses, documentaries, nearly 190 episodes of monthly TV Justice and Detektor Magazine, and more than ten publications and reports.

All content on the Detektor portal, as well as on its social media channels on YouTube, X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram, is free of charge.