SARAJEVO, 02.10.2019. – Gosti večerašnjeg Presinga bili su urednik Balkanske istraživačke mreže Slobodan Georgiev, predsjednik Hrvatskog novinarskog društva Hrvoje Zovko i urednik portala Gerila, novinar BN TV-a Vladimir Kovačević.

Oni su na razne načine u proteklom periodu bili žrtve napada, a Kovačević je, podsjećanja radi, preživio pokušaj ubistva na banjalučkim ulicama. Gosti su poručili da se ne boje, pojasnivši da će svoj posao raditi kao i ranije.

U razgovoru za N1, Kovačević je večeras podsjetio na detalje svoje priče, sudski epilog događaja, nalogodavcima i motivima napada. Rekao je da se ne boji te da svoj posao i dalje radi kao što je to bilo i prije napada.

’Ukratko, priča je dobila djelimičan sudski epilog u kojem je prvoosumnjičeni osuđen na četiri godine zatvora, a drugi napadač je u bjekstvu. To se desilo u augustu prošle godine, pratili smo šta se dešavalo, tok suđenja, a potom i liječenja. Moglo je biti i puno drugačije. Najveći problem je što se nikada zvanično neće saznati ko je nalogodavac. Spominju se različita imena, a mislim da ćemo teško zvanično dobiti odgovore. Nisam siguran da će zvanične institucije do kraja ići do otkrivanja nalogodavaca. U svakom slučaju, ono što mogu tvrditi, jeste da je motiv definitivno moj rad u pet, šest, sedam godina na različitim medijima. Ako nije direktno povezano s političarima, jeste s ljudima koji su bliski vladajućoj eliti u Republici Srpskoj’’, rekao je Kovačević za N1 u Pressingu.

Georgiev je dodao da nije ima iskustva slična onome koje je preživio njegov kolega Kovačević ocijenivši situaciju u svakodnevnici novinara problematičnom i iz razloga što napadi često dolaze od vlasti.

‘’Nisam imao ovakav susret kao kolega iz Banjaluke. Mi živimo u jednoj situaciji koja je problematična zbog toga što napadi dolaze od vlasti. Vlast ne želi da čuje drugi glas, oni su vlasnici istine i oni koji pokušavaju da postave neko pitanje vrlo brzo postaju meta. Srbija ima dobru tradiciju nerazjašnjenih napada na novinare. Jedan moj kolega je bio bombardovan, postavili su mu bombe u prostoriju gdje je spavao sa svojom porodicom. Bio je sličan slučaj s Teofilom Pančićem u javnom prevozu. Pre toga smo etiketirani’’, rekao je Georgiev.

‘’Ko će biti odgovoran ako mi se nešto dogodi? Svi napadi koji su za sada, Bogu hvala, verbalni, i predstavljaju jednu vrstu pritiska, oni su kretali s vrha države. Sadašnji predsednik je nama posvetio prvu vanrednu konferenciju za novinare kad smo objavili priču o arapskim partnerima. On nas je tada optužio da radimo protiv države. Posle toga je krenula jedna rutinska kampanja, na društvenim mrežama, tabloidima i TV stanicama. Bio sam predmet specijalnih emisija nekih televizijskih stanica. Oni misle da je svaki drugi glas opasan i da ga u startu treba satrati’’, dodao je on.

Hrvoje Zovko, gost iz Zageba, poručio je da je suštinski problem napada na novinare taj što se ne saznaju nalogodavci.

‘’Suštinski problem kolege u Banjaluci je što mi ne znamo ko su nalogodavci. Ko je odgovoran? Odgovorne su institucije koje toleriraju i potiču histeriju prema novinarima. Imate u Hrvatskoj povratak narativa iz devedesetih godina. Postavljam pitanje kako bi ovo tužno hrvatsko društvo izgledalo da nema istraživačkih novinara. To što je situacija u Hrvatskoj bolja nije nam nikakva utjeha. Ja sam 25.9. dobio nezakonit otkaz na osnovu neistinite prijave nakon jedne svađe gdje sam okrakteriziran kao nasilnik što je van pameti. HRT se danas nažalost se pretvorila u državnu televiziju gdje je program koji građani plaćaju 80 kuna svaki mjesec. HRT je podnio tri tužbe protiv mene, za otuđenje neke opreme, povredu ugleda i časti i tužili su me osim parničnom i u kaznenom postupku’’, kazao je Zovko u Presingu N1 televizije.

Podsjećamo, u Sarajevu je prošle sedmice napadnuta redakcija Radio Sarajeva, a nakon tog napada, novinari su u bosanskohercegovačkoj prijestolnici mirno protestvovali na ulicama.

PODGORICA, 01.10.2019. – Journalist Marina G. (real name known to the author of the text) has decided to write about fees that one public company charges citizens. As a penalty for non-payment, the company envisaged termination of services. After consulting with the lawyers, she has realized that there was a legal possibility for these fees to be abolished or declared illegal. She did everything journalists do when writing analytical articles – she interviewed lawyers, citizens, representatives of the non-governmental sector and then – representative of the mentioned public company. She met with the director, explained to him what the citizens’ complaints were and how the lawyers interpreted the fees. The gentleman in the leather armchair had several papers in front of him and he tried to explain and justify collection of the fees and sanctions provided for non-payment.

The journalist obtained the consent of her editor to publish the article. It wasn’t long after the article was published, and Marina’s phone rang. It was the owner of the media she worked for, who invited her to interview. Shortly afterwards, Marina had to publish a response stating that the text was tendentious and written with the aim of jeopardizing the business of the large company.

But the journalist didn’t stop and has continued to investigate. Among other things, she has researched a property card of the public company director. She was informed that he didn’t provide true public information about his own property and that he had “hidden” more real estate in the property file. This time, Marina didn’t get the editor’s consent to publish the text. She decided to give all the information to a colleague from another media. The text was published in another media and the director of the company announced a lawsuit for reputation infringement against their editorial staff.

What has happened in this story? Well, self-censorship, among other things. Marina’s editor didn’t have courage to allow publication of the second text. The journalist also, in a certain sense, agreed to self-censorship, not opposing the editor and giving her effort to the colleague.

Self-censorship is bigger problem than censorship. Censorship is sometimes discovered, but how many important information we never know because someone was “holding back” himself? “Media censorship is forbidden,” states the Montenegrin Law on Media. But what about self-censorship? Can you ban editors and journalists from being scared? Can laws affect their conscience?

Article 28 of Draft Law on Media states joint responsibility – founder, editor-in-chief, column editor or journalist are jointly responsible for the damage they cause to someone. Yes, there should be sanctions for damages done. But the question, that has already been raised in the public, is – will this provision increase the amount of self-censorship.

Some editors and journalists fear lawsuits, while the braver ones suffer monetary losses. Undoubtedly – both the law and ethical norms should be respected. But Montenegro has problems in both fields.

According to the already mentioned Draft Law on Media, journalist has the right to refuse to prepare or write a text that is contrary to the Law and the Code of Ethics, with a written explanation to the editor-in-chief. For this reason, an employer can’t terminate journalist’s employment, can’t reduce journalist’s salary and can’t place him at a disadvantage. However, what we do not know is – how will these conditions be fully guaranteed? Pressures on journalists can be very subtle, covert and difficult to prove.

If journalist/media is charged and must pay to someone for the harm done, there must be proven guilty. Another question we are obliged to answer is – how credible are those who decide on the existence of this guilt? Various affairs diminish confidence in the Montenegrin justice system.

All of this, of course, doesn’t mean that journalists and the media should have unlimited freedom and publish unverified or untrue information. As stated in the Code of Ethics, respect for ethical norms is not only a duty but also a journalist’s interest. The facts are inviolable and the incomplete and incorrect information must be supplemented or corrected.

However, this shouldn’t be forgotten: Journalists must be critical observers of “those in leather armchairs.” Unfortunately, many who didn’t accept to be “microphone holders” are no longer engaged in journalism. One of them is Marina G.

Dragana Zaric, journalist

The text was created within the project “Monitoring for free media” implemented by the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro within the framework of a major project “Judicial Reform: Upgrading CSO’s capacities to contribute to the integrity of judiciary” financed by the European Union, and implemented by the Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMi) in partnership with the NGO Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) and the Network for the Affirmation of European Integration Processes (MAEIP).

Sarajevo, 30.09.2019. – Journalists in Sarajevo are seeking changes of the law and that attacks on journalists and the media are treated as criminal offenses. More and more frequent are the requests for journalists to be granted official status. The reason for the journalists gathering today at 12 o’clock in front of the Football Club Sarajevo headquarters is the attack and pressure on journalists in front of the editorial office of Radio Sarajevo three days ago.

Secretary General of the Society of Journalists Fedzad Forto said it’s a frightening fact that 50 serious attacks on journalists are outdated.

Faruk Vele addressed on behalf of the Radio Sarajevo portal and said that today journalists have gathered to support all colleagues who have suffered some type of pressure or attack.

“This is support for colleagues Gordana Katana, Meliha Smajkic, Vladimir Kovacevic and all my colleagues who have been attacked in recent years. It is very difficult to be a journalist in BiH and it is becoming increasingly difficult to do this job every day. We want to say to the state: Protect us, we have the right to work and to freedom”, said Vele.

Politicians Senad Sepic, president of the Independent Bloc party, and Sasa Magazinovic, SDP MP in the state parliament, supported journalists in their fight for free work today.

After the gathering in front of the FC Sarajevo headquarters, a group of journalists headed to the Prosecutor’s Office of Canton Sarajevo building and then to the State Parliament.

SARAJEVO, 28.09.2019. – Regionalna platforma za zagovaranje medijskih sloboda i bezbednosti novinara, koja zastupa više od 8.000 članova, snažno osuđuje pretnje smrću novinarima i uredništvu portala Radio Sarajevo i njihovim porodicama, koje su im uputili navijači Fudbalskog kluba (FK) Sarajevo.

Do incidenta je došlo nakon što su portal Radio Sarajevo i deo ostalih medija u Bosni i Hercegovini, objavili da je navijač ovog fudbalskog kluba osuđen na pet godina zatvora u Belorusiji u avgustu ove godine gde je bio na fudbalskoj utakmici i kada je beloruska policija kod njega našla kokain.

Uveče 27. septembra je grupa navijača FK Sarajevo došla ispred redakcije Radio Sarajevo, gde su maltretirali autora tog teksta, i držali ga kao taoca duže od dva sata preteći da će ubiti i njega i njegovu porodicu, tražili su da se ukloni članak sa web sajta Radio Sarajevo. Istovremeno, prisiljavali su ga da zove ostale medije u Bosni i Hercegovini i da od njih traži da odmah uklone sporni članak.

„Ovaj napad smatramo brutalnim kršenjem prava na slobodu izražavanja i ugrožavanje bezbednosti novinara i redakcije Radio Sarajevo, kao i neprimereni čin nasilja navijača FK Sarajevo nad više medija u BiH“, rekla je Borka Rudić, generalna sekretarka Udruženja BH novinari. Ona je pozdravila napore policije Kantona Sarajevo, koje je brzo uhapsilo dvojicu napadača ali je, istovremeno, pozvala policiju i tužilaštvo da nastave sa sprovođenjem zakona kako bi obojica napadača bila kažnjena.

Regionalna platforma za zagovaranje medijskih sloboda i bezbednosti novinara smatra nedopustivim ćutanje Fudbalskog saveza BiH i FK Sarajevo i poziva ih da javno osude ovaj čin i preduzmu sve mere protiv agresivnih fudbalskih navijačkih grupa i pojedinaca. Ovo nije prvi put da u Bosni i Hercegovini fudbalske navijačke grupe maltretiraju novinare nakon njihovih izveštaja sa sportskih događaja ili nakon objavljivanja kritičkih članaka o navijačkim grupama i njihovim članovima.

Podsećamo da je svaki napad na novinare napad na javni interes, demokratiju i ljudska prava. Regionalna platforma će obavestiti sve evropske institucije i UEFA i tražiti da intervenišu u vezi sa poslednjim slučajem kao i u ostalim slučajevima napada na slobodu medija i bezbednost novinara u Bosni i Hercegovini i ostalim državama Zapadnog Balkana. 

Skoplje – Beograd – Podgorica – Priština – Sarajevo- Zagreb, 28.09.2019.

Udruženje/udruga BiH novinari
Sindikat medija Crne Gore
Hrvatsko novinarsko društvo
Udruženje novinara Kosova
Udruženje novinara Makedonije
Nezavisno udruženje novinara Srbije

SARAJEVO, 28.09.2019. –  The Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety, which represents more than 8,000 members, strongly condemns the death threats to journalists and editors of Radio Sarajevo portal and to their family members, sent by a fan of the Sarajevo football club. 

The incident happened after the Radio Sarajevo portal and another number of media in Bosnia and Herzegovina reported that a fan of this football club was arrested for five years in prison in Belarus in August this year, where he has been for a football match and when Belarusian police found cocaine with him.

Last night, a group of supporters of the Sarajevo Football Club came before the Radio Sarajevo editorial office, where the author of the article was harassed by that group, held hostage for more than two hours, and under threat of killing him and his family, demanded that he remove the article from the Radio Sarajevo web site. At the same time, they forced the journalist to call other media outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina and demanded them for the immediate removal of the unlisted article.

“We consider this attack a brutal violation of the right to freedom of expression and endanger the safety of journalists and the editorial office of Radio Sarajevo, as well as the illicit conduct of violence by the fans group of Sarajevo Football Club over multiple media in BiH,” said Boka Rudic, Secretary General of the BH Journalists Association. She welcomed the efforts of the Sarajevo Canton Police, who was prompt arrest of two attackers, but at the same time, Rudic strongly urged the police and the Prosecution Office must continue legal action to punish both of the attackers.
The Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety considers the inadmissibility of silence of the BiH Football Federation and the Sarajevo Football Club, and calls them to publicly condemn this act and take all measures against  aggressive football fan groups or individuals. This is not the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina that football fan groups have been harassed of journalists after their reports from sports events or after publishing critical articles about fan groups and their members.

We remind that every attack on a journalist is an attack on the public interest, democracy and human rights. The Platform will inform all European institutions of this incident, including the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and request their intervention to the last incident as well as on other cases of  violence of media freedom and safety of journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in other Western Balkans countries.

Skopje – Belgrade – Podgorica – Pristina – Sarajevo – Zagreb, 28.09.2019.

BH Journalists Association
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
Independent Journalists Association of Serbia