PODGORICA, 25.12.2020 – Special state prosecutor Sasa Cadjenovic announced that two suspects for planning the murder of journalist Olivera Lakic were arrested yesterday, while the others are in prison.

The testimony of an associate of the prosecution in yet unconfirmed indictment against 23 people was recently revealed. He explained details from the Prison from May – when he was asked to kill a journalist because “she knows something”.

At today’s press conference, Cadjenovic announced that the group is also suspected of the attempted murder of Olivera Lakic in May 2018.

“Analyzes show that O.L. was monitored for a long time, in order to collect data on her movement. Their actions were aimed at preventing her investigative journalistic work”, said Cadjenovic.

Evidence has been gathered that K.F. and F.B. as co-perpetrators committed the crime, while R.K, B.L., and B.V. monitoring contributed to the attack.

“K.F. and F.B. were, while in prison, inciting B.P. to deprive her of life after leaving (the prison).  150,000 euros were offered for her murder”, it was announced at the conference.

The motive, as it was said, is to prevent the journalist from investigating criminal organizations on the territory of Montenegro and their connections with criminal groups from the region.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Dritan Abazovic, welcomed the arrest of the suspects in the attempted murder of  investigative journalist, but noted that it would not mean much – until the perpetrators were found.

Recently, the representatives of the Commission for Investigation of Attacks on Journalists and the Media asked the authorities to urgently assess the safety of journalist Olivera Lakic and provide her with the necessary protection.

PRISTINA, 25.12.2020 – The President of the Board of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK), Gentiana Begolli Pustina, received in a farewell meeting the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jan Braathu.

At this meeting it was discussed about the unstinting cooperation and support that the OMiK has provided to AJK in carrying out various activities over the years.

Ambassador Braathu, among other things, stressed the importance of continuing mutual cooperation.

“The OSCE Mission in Kosovo highly values the cooperation with the Association of Journalists of Kosovo and we will continue to strengthen the partnership between our organizations and to support journalists, because without their work and information, there can be no democratic government. Also, together we must continue to speak publicly about the attacks on journalists because they obviously affect their work.”

Meanwhile, the Board President Begolli Pustina expressed her gratitude for the unstinting support of the OSCE in Kosovo headed by the Ambassador, Jan Braathu. According to her, the functioning of AJK, without the support of this mechanism would be very difficult not to say impossible.

“I have emphasized it in several conferences and I take this opportunity to say in this farewell meeting that you ambassador, have rightly been considered a true friend of journalists and the AJK itself. We hope that the new head of OMiK will also provide the support you have provided to the AJK, so that together we can continue to advocate for the rights of journalists.”

Begolli Pustina also thanked the Head of the Media Section in the OSCE Democratization Department, Mr. Dane Koruga, who in no case has hesitated to respond to the requests of AJK.

“You have been the closest partner of AJK, for which we will always be thankful,” said Begolli Pustina.

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo thanked Ambassador Jan Braathu on the occasion of the end of his term as the Head of the OMiK, for the irreplaceable assistance and trust given to the AJK and its members.

SARAJEVO, December 21, 2020 – The coronavirus pandemic has shown how important professional and objective journalism is to us, but the state has done almost nothing to provide support to the media, especially in financial terms – this was pointed out at today’s public discussion on the consequences of COVID-19 on media and journalism in BiH and the survival of free journalism in the interest of citizens.

The president of BH Journalists Association, Marko Divkovic, said that during the pandemic the state was extremely inert towards the media, many of which came to the brink of survival.

– Apart from the lack of economic support, the state has not shown any serious interest in helping media houses in any other way. It is becoming increasingly difficult for journalists to work in the field and to obtain data and they must be very careful when it comes to sources of information, because many are ready for manipulation – said Divkovic.

The president of the Association of Electronic Media in BiH, Elvir Svrakic, emphasized that a large number of journalists and media workers fell ill during the pandemic.

– On Hayat TV alone, 37 percent of employees had COVID. From the beginning, we in the Association have been engaged in involving the competent institutions in the work of the media in a way that subsidizes the work of those who could not generate income. CRA reduced its fee by about 50 percent and in that way we got one kind of relief. However, the others absolutely did not react – says Svrakic.

Speaking about how the pandemic affected the advertising industry, the director of the “Fabrika” agency, Senad Zaimovic, said that the pandemic was just an addition to the crisis in the media that already existed.

– It is certain that the income of most media has dropped between 30 and 50 percent, and if we take into account that they have operated on the verge of survival before, the situation is more than dramatic. I doubt that the state will do anything, especially when it comes to independent media that do not suit them – said Zaimovic.

Vildana Selimbegovic, president of the Assembly of the Press and Online Media Council in BiH and director of Oslobodjenje media group, said that the Press Council addressed the competent institutions for media support, but without results.

– Since the beginning of the pandemic, Oslobodjenje had to reduce the number of employees, reduce the number of pages and switch to what we call the weekend edition, because distributors have also significantly reduced their activities. The pandemic is used as an excuse to endanger media freedoms and that is evident. I think that the selection of the media to those “selected” and others has never been clearer than this year, when it comes to access to information. Journalists’ questions are being tried to be completely squeezed out of the media space, and we have come to the point that the question of journalists is perceived as an insult, which is a complete absurdity – Selimbegovic emphasized.

She added that working from home has further complicated things for many journalists, but also that the only way for free journalism to survive is to return to professional standards and deal with those topics that can really initiate changes in society.

Ranko Petrusic, director of the Banjaluka.com portal, says the pandemic has had a particularly negative financial impact on commercial media.

– In March, we had zero marks of income. We had to reorient ourselves “on the go” and start doing some other things, which are not exclusively related to journalism, in order to survive – said Petrusic, adding that during the pandemic, journalists faced a flood of unverified information from various sources, which represented an additional challenge.

Aldijana Puric, editor-in-chief of Radio Velika Kladusa, said that this public media expects a drop in revenue of at least 30 percent by the end of the year, and that they have not been paid the planned budget funds so far.

– From the beginning of the pandemic, the media were left without many advertisers and it is to be expected that the consequences will be felt for a long time to come. Reductions in planned budgets are already being announced, so we will certainly fight the economic consequences in the next few years as well. It is much easier for public services because they still generate a part of the income from the RTV fee, even though there has been a decrease in income also. However, we all have to adapt to the situation – says Adnan Bilal, marketing director of Federal Television (FTV).

Selma Dandic from Mostar’s Dnevni list stated that this media outlet recorded a drop in income of as much as 80 percent.

– The pandemic was an opportunity for politically eligible media to stand out and for those independent ones to go out. The corona law was not adjusted to the media at all and we could not apply for those funds – said Dandic.

Adnan Osmanagic, director of RSG Radio in Sarajevo, said that this media outlet also suffered a drastic drop in revenue, at one point by as much as 70 per cent.

– Finances are in fact the guarantor of professional and independent media, so this pandemic has brought a drastic impact of various political and other organizations on the media – Osmanagic believes.

The participants in the discussion agreed to send a request to the Council of Ministers of BiH and the entity governments as soon as possible with a proposal of measures for the recovery of the media from the economic crisis. It is proposed to form a media coalition at the level of BiH, which together will create the most important goals for advocating the interests of all representatives of the media community. The public discussion was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH and the Information Commission of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament, who expressed readiness to forward the conclusions of today’s meeting to relevant institutions at all levels.

The public discussion was organized within the project “Free Media for a Free Society”, implemented by the BH Journalists and the Association of Electronic Media, with the support of the European Union.

PODGORICA, 19.12.2020. – As Montenegro’s new coalition government under the leadership of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić was formally approved by the Montenegrin Parliament on 4 December, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) and key partners, urge it to put press and media freedom high on its agenda. The detailed report from their virtual fact-finding mission raises a number of concerns. To advance media freedom and, ultimately, the country’s accession bid to the European Union (EU), the new administration must commit to the necessary reforms for building and maintaining a free and pluralist media landscape.

This is a unique chance to make a break from the past after 31 unbroken years of Democratic Socialist (DPS) rule under Milo Đukanović’s leadership. The results from our virtual fact-finding mission by seven international civil society organisations that took place in September 2020, show decisive action is needed to establish a free and pluralist media landscape. Our findings are outlined and analysed in the mission report: Uncertain Optimism, or Optimistic Uncertainty: Virtual MFRR Mission Report published today.

“Our mission found a heavily polarised media landscape in the country, and it will take sustained and concerted efforts by Prime Minister Krivokapić and his government to improve protections for media freedom and the rule of law. They must therefore, in their political agenda, devote particular attention to addressing the myriad problems faced by journalists and media workers in Montenegro”, said Nik Williams, MFRR co-ordinator at European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).

A central tenet of the much-needed change of direction is the need to dismantle the entrenched polarisation that has defined Montenegrin politics, society and media for too long and ensure afree and fair playing field for every media outlet and actor to work safely. There are no quick fixes for the long list of issues that emerged throughout the series of interviews carried out with key stakeholders representing journalist unions, media outlets, NGOs, JUFREX (co-ordinated by the European Union and Council of Europe), the OSCE, the Commission for Monitoring Investigations of Attacks on Journalists and the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro, which is the country’s National Human Rights Institution. Still, several actions can be identified that will be key to rebuilding trust and implementing sustainable reform. They include, among other pressing concerns, the following recommendations identified in the report:

– Ending impunity for crimes against journalists and media workers by ensuring police and prosecutors investigate all attacks and threats and bring perpetrators and the masterminds behind them to justice;

– Establishing shared standards and principles for the regulation of the media market that encourages a fair playing field;

– Continuing the reform of the public broadcaster;

– Reforming journalistic source protection and, generally, ensuring that all new or amended media laws are drafted in line with international standards and best practice on media freedom and pluralism.

To advance media freedom and the country’s EU accession bid, the new administration must commit to the necessary reforms for building and maintaining a free and pluralist media landscape. These must conform with European standards and include support for public interest reporting, transparent funding, shared regulatory standards and a safe working environment free from attacks and threats, embedded in a broader system that respects the rule of law, in theory and in practice.

SARAJEVO/BANJA LUKA, 17.12.2020. – The Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association and the Free Media Help Line strongly condemn the death threats and endangering the safety of journalists and other employees of Nezavisne novine from Banja Luka. An unknown man called the editorial office of this media today from an unknown telephone number, and in a threatening voice asked them to close the office earlier, saying that “everyone will be dead today”.

Aggressive threats with possible, serious consequences for the life and professional integrity of Nezavisne novine employees, represent a serious attack on freedom of expression and safety of journalists, which is why the RS MUP must immediately launch an investigation and establish the attacker’s identity, and take other legal actions to severely sanction threats.

The Steering Committee of BH Journalists expresses concern over the serious increase in violence against journalists in BiH, recalling that the Free Media Help Line registered 17 explicit threats, physical attacks and death threats during 2020. None of these cases ended in punishing the attackers! Therefore, we emphasize once again that each of these cases is a serious crime, which requires an urgent response and decisive measures by the police, judicial and other institutions to punish the perpetrators. Only harsh sanctions and legal measures can stop threats like the one addressed to the Nezavisne editorial office and stop new violence against media professionals in BiH!

The Steering Committee of BH Journalists and the Free Media Help Line will inform domestic and international organizations for the protection of freedom of expression and safety of journalists about threats to Nezavisne novine, and request their response.