PODGORICA, 17.08.2020. – Crnogorska medijska scena od nedavno je bogatija za dva lokalna javna emitera – RTV Podgorica i RTV Kolašin. 

Uprkos lošim finansijskim uslovima u većini lokalnih javnih emitera u Crnoj Gori, lokalne samouprave u Podgorici i Kolašinu su odlučne da svoj rad ubuduće mogu da predstave i na “svom” mediju.

RTV Podgorica izabrao je članove i predsjednika Savjeta, kao i vršioca dužnosti direktorka.

“Nakon što je na posljednjoj sjednici Skupštine Glavnog grada formiran Savjet D.O.O.lokalnog javnog emitera Radio televizije Podgorica, danas je održana i konstitutivna sjednica Savjeta na kojoj su birani organi upravljanja. Savjet je jednoglasno odlučio da Živko Andrijašević bude izabran za predsjednika Savjeta, dok je Predrag Vučinić imenovan za vršioca dužnosti direktora Radio- televizije Podgorica. Savjet će u narednom periodu donijeti Statut a takođe je dužan da u roku od 15 dana od dana donošenja Statuta, raspiše javni konkurs za izbor direktora”, saopštili su iz Glavnog grada.

U međuvremenu, počeli su sa emitovanjem testnog programa na lokalnom radiju.

Svoj mediji formirala je i Opština Kolašin – Prema podacima sa sajta Centralnog registra privrednih subjekata (CRPS) doo Javni emiter Radio televizije (RTV) Kolašin registrovana je 24. jula. To se desilo mjesec i po nakon što je Savjet RTV imenovao v. d. direktora tog javanog emitera.

Trenutno je registrovano 14 lokalnih javnih emitera.

PODGORICA, 16.08.2020 – Mreža za afirmaciju nevladinog sektora MANS podnijela je još tri prijave Agenciji za sprječavanje korupcije (ASK) protiv medija koji su suprotno Zakonu o finansiranju političkih partija i izbornih kampanja objavili političke oglase.

“Prijave se odnose na Antenu M, Skala radio i portal Borba. Na portalu Antene M kao i na toj radio stanici objavljena je reklamna poruka političkog subjekta, iako taj medij nije objavio cjenovnik u skladu sa Zakonom o finansiranju političkih subjekata i izbornih kampanja. MANS je u slučaju Antene M već upozorio ASK na činjenicu da cjenovnik nisu predali u skladu sa zakonom, ali ta institucija još uvijek nije donijela odluku po toj prijavi, niti uklonila cjenovnik sa svog sajta. To je dovelo do toga da politički subjekti koriste ovaj medij za političko oglašavanje, suprotno zakonu. Kada su u pitanju Skala radio i portal Borba, ova dva medija ASKu uopšte nisu dostavili cjenovnike za političko oglašavanje, na šta ih je obavezivao zakon”, saopštili su iz MANS-a.

Kako su kazali, u međuvremenu, Agencija za sprječavanje korupcije (ASK) još uvijek ne radi bilo šta kako bi zaustavila dalje kršenje zakona uoči parlamentarnih izbora koji se održavaju za dvije sedmice.

Hrvatsko novinarsko društvo (HND) i Sindikat novinara Hrvatske (SNH) pridružuju se apelu Europske federacije novinara (EFJ), koja je osudila nasilje bjeloruske policije nad novinarima i sudionicima demonstracija nakon predsjedničkih izbora, gdje je Aleksandar Lukašenko osvojio šesti mandat s 80 posto glasova. Također, HND i SNH pozivaju Vladu Republike Hrvatske da iskoristi svoj utjecaj u međunarodnoj zajednici kako bi se što hitnije zaštitilo kolegice i kolege novinare, snimatelje i fotoreportere.

EFJ je pozvao Europsku uniju, Vijeće Europe i OESS da poduzmu hitne mjere kako bi se zaustavilo nasilje nad novinarima i mirnim prosvjednicima. Naglašava da su bjeloruske sigurnosne snage zastrašivale i pretukle desetke novinara, kao i da je velik broj njih u pritvoru, dok se za neke ne zna gdje su.

U priopćenju pod naslovom “Novinari u Bjelorusiji meta represije – međunarodna zajednica mora reagirati” pozivaju se članice Europske federacije novinara, među kojima su HND i SNH, te novinarke i novinari, na solidarnost s kolegicama i kolegama iz Bjelorusije.

Hrvoje Zovko, predsjednik Hrvatskog novinarskog društva

Maja Sever, predsjednica Sindikata novinara Hrvatske

PRISTINA, 14.08.2020 – Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK), with concern has accepted the news of obstruction of the Radio Television of Kosovo by a group of people with the same uniform with the Serbian logo.

The team consisting of cameraman Mumin Jashari and two other members, Zymer Leci and Arben Jashari, although they had permission from KFOR to film in Zubin Potok, yesterday on 13th August, they were illegally prevented to film by these members, and then they were escorted to the police station.

“Yesterday we were filming on Ujman Lake. We had permission from KFOR and the Police to film with a drone. While we were filming, a car first came, checked our vehicle registration plate, inquired who we were, and left. Then, two cars with four people came. Two of them were in a uniform that wrote ‘security’, in the Serbian language. They took pictures all the time and asked us to stop filming. They did not let us move and pressured me to delete the photos I took of them. They kept us there until the police came to pick us up, which was a lot of pressure for the team. After 15 minutes, three Serbian police officers arrived, to whom I showed the filming permit and IDs. were escorted to the Police Station in Zubin Potok. All this detention lasted for about 2 hours until the Kosovo Police then released us. I have asked to call and inform the editorial office three times in a row, but I have not been allowed to do so. ” – explained the cameraman Mumin Jashari for AJK.

AJK estimates that such actions against journalists and media professionals on duty put pressure on them. Detention and other forms of intimidation have recently increased and this threatens the safety of journalists, their independent reporting, and the general freedom of the media in Kosovo.

AJK has asked the relevant authorities to identify these persons who prevented the RTK team from filming in Zubin Potok and to take adequate measures about the case.

PODGORICA, 13.08.2020. – During the previous year, the European Court of Human Rights received 427 applications from Montenegro, both from individuals and legal entities and from non-governmental organizations, according to the Report on the work of the Office of Representatives before the Court in Strasbourg for 2019, Dnevne novine published.

Among other things, the applicants alleged in three cases a violation of Article 8 of the Convention guaranteeing the right to respect for private and family life, and in one case a violation of Article 10 of the Convention guaranteeing freedom of expression.

Compared to the year before, the total number of applications is for 34 percent higher. In 2018, 318 applications were sent to Strasbourg, in 2017 by 180 less, and in 2016, 165 complaints were sent.

The Office of Representatives estimates that the increase in the number of submitted applications means that citizens are increasingly familiar with the practice of the European Court, and express interest in resolving dissatisfaction with the judgments of our courts before the international court.

“In relation to Montenegro, during 2019, the European Court considered a total of 539 applications filed against Montenegro, of which 112 applications were from previous years. After the initial examination of the applications on the basis of their admissibility and the large number of their rejections (approximately 430) from the judicial formation of a single judge, it indicates that the trend of rejecting a large number of applications as inadmissible in the first phase of the proceedings review by the European Court”, the report said.

As it is added, at the end of 2019, a total of 98 cases remained pending before the European Court in relation to Montenegro.

Foto: CPJ

Verbal threats, physical attacks, political pressure, death threats, defamation, denial of access to information – these are just some of the problems faced by journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the beginning of this year, 12 cases of attacks on journalists in BiH have been recorded. Online violence and threats have become commonplace for Bosnian journalists.

After posting a photo with two migrants, Vanja Stokić, editor-in-chief of E-trafika news portal, received a message on her Facebook profile from a person named Goran Živanović, in which he threatened to “cut off the heads” not only of migrants, but also of all to the caregivers who welcome them. ” Stokić tried to immediately report the threats to the police, but was told to return on Monday – three days after the threats were made to her. Živanović contacted the editor-in-chief of E – trafika news portal again, repeating the threats and leaving his phone number so she could pass it on to the police. But that was not the end of the threats, they were accompanied by harassment not only of her but also of her friends via social media. After the unfortunate events, the Banja Luka police arrested Živanović, who was released after the interrogation, and the case was handed over to the Banja Luka District Prosecutor’s Office for further proceedings.

Inspector Mirković was punished by a 10 percent salary reduction because “he did not act upon the said report, he did not come to the injured party Vanja Stokić to file a report and take a statement from her as a witness – the injured party, nor did he inform the duty prosecutor about the said event.” The explanation further states that Mirković thus committed a minor breach of duty. The prosecutor of the Banja Luka District Public Prosecutor’s Office, Tatjana Ninković, has suspended the investigation against Goran Živanović, who threatened to kill the editor-in-chief of eTrafika portal, Vanja Stokić.

The only right thing to do is to punish Živanović, everything else sends the message that the death threats are acceptable

Stokić says that the decision on punishment was a positive surprise, especially because she did not file any charges against the inspector.

“I don’t know if anyone else did that, but if the Ministry of the Interior decided to sanction its employee for an omission, I welcome that move. On the other hand, the prosecutor’s decision was somewhat expected, but still shameful. She interpreted the message in which an unknown man threatened to cut off my head as an expression of personal attitude and dissatisfaction. She also claimed that he did not spread hate speech, which is not true. By deciding not to conduct an investigation, she made it clear that threats and hate speech are perfectly fine, because you will not be sanctioned for them. At least if you threaten journalists, if you direct your anger at institutions or politicians, you will be prosecuted immediately. ”

The Association of BH Journalists, within which the Free Media Help Line operates, hired a lawyer to file an appeal against this decision.

“When this happened, a system of support was created around me in such an extent that I really did not expect and I am infinitely grateful to the people who stood by me. Now, to surrender and just let the case go are not the options. I primarily owe that to my colleagues who, unfortunately, might one day be in my place, ” said Stokić.

Stokić believes that the only right thing to do is to punish Živanović, because everything else sends the message that the threats are okay and that no one will sanction you if you want to “behead” someone.” If the institutions react now, every next case will be easier to solve because we will have good practice that will guide us,” Stokić concludes.

Potrebno popuniti rupe u zakonima koje onemogućavaju rad novinara/ki i medije

It is necessary to fill the gaps in the laws that prevent the work of journalists and the media

Adin Šabić, editor of the Interview.ba portal comments for our platform that statistics show the best how safe journalists in BiH are.

“It is unfortunate that at the levels of the state, entities and Brčko District, there is no adequate mechanism for the protection of journalists. Although the House of Representatives of the Federation of BiH supported the initiative to amend the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH, which would treat attacks on journalists as an attack on officials, it has not yet taken root. In Republika Srpska, the draft with the amendments to the Criminal Code has been sent to the parliamentary procedure and is waiting for better days when MPs will consider it, and until then, attacks on journalists will be treated as an attack on an ordinary citizen, even though they are doing business that is much more exposed to attacks “, states Šabić.

When asked what needs to be done in order to protect journalists in BiH, Šabić emphasized that it is necessary to fill the gaps in the laws that prevent the work of journalists and the media in general. “If the initiatives were adopted to change the criminal laws, which say that an attack on a journalist is treated as an attack on an official, given the increased sanctions that result from that, I think we would get a smaller number of attacks. “

Responsibility lies with the state authorities

Mehmed Halilović, legal advisor for the media, believes that the responsibility in this case lies with the state authorities, primarily the police and the prosecution.

“I am surprised, but at the same time upset by the reaction of the police, because in some other cases when they were sent anonymously, not to mention even harmless threats to politicians, they reacted much faster and more efficiently. But when it comes to journalists, that was not the case, as is the case with Vanja Stokić.” He added that he was both surprised and upset by the poor reaction of the prosecution.

“Such a threat must be taken seriously because an attack on any person, journalists in particular, is an attack on all citizens, and I think that in this particular case, the prosecution was below any level appropriate for a democratic society,” Halilović said.

Halilović emphasized that it is necessary to react more efficiently and faster, and that direct procedures and reactions must be taken:

“The prosecution had to file an indictment, and the attacker had to be prosecuted and sanctioned, to act preventively in the future because sanctions for criminal acts, among other things, have not only mandatory sanctioning of perpetrators, but also a preventive role to prevent future crimes.”

Cooperation between the academic and professional community is necessary

Lamija Silajdžić, senior assistant at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Sarajevo, states that the Department of Communication studies the rights of journalists through the subjects of Media Regulation and Ethics of Public Speech, where students learn about relevant international and domestic legal solutions and journalistic codes that deal with this area.

“However, it is necessary to conduct continuous research, because attacks on journalists do not stop and they pose a threat to free and professional journalism. Cooperation between the academic and professional community is necessary in this context, in order to provide students with both theoretical and practical insight into ways to protect journalists from the attacks and violence. “

PODGORICA, 10.09.2020. –  The year 2020 seems to add another sad chapter on the decline of media freedom in Europe. Main reasons were the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, police violence and online harassment, shows the first Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) report.

The monitoring report compiled by European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and International Press Institute (IPI), with support from ECPMF, gives unprecedented insight into the threats to media freedom in EU member states and Candidate Countries. Within the monitored period from March to June a total of 126 alerts were registered on the mappingmediafreedom.org platform from two-thirds of the countries covered by the MFRR. This data is the basis for the present report. EFJ, IPI and ECPMF are part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response consortium.

One key trend observed is the negative impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on media freedom. Some governments used the pandemic as a pretext to restrict democratic discourse or reinforce authoritarian tendencies. Mappingmediafreedom.org registered 42 alerts related to the pandemic.

Another trend are the dangers to journalists and media workers when covering protests and demonstrations. The report highlights that in total, 28 journalists and media workers were attacked between March and June during demonstrations and protests. Demonstrators are not the only risk to media professionals. As the report shows, violence and threats from police officers and security services is second only to attacks from private individuals.

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) was launched in March 2020 to support at-risk journalists and media workers across the EU Member States and Candidate Countries.