PRISHTINA – 20.05.2019, Association of Kosovo Journalists (AGK) has met the representatives of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC), whose purpose was the discussion on the New Regulation on Public Communication Services at the Prosecution System.

The Association of Kosovo Journalists has analyzed in detail the regulation and during the meeting has provided remarks and comments. It will provide support to the KPC for this rule to be supplemented in order to facilitate the work of journalists, raising the transparency of the  prosecution system to the public, media, and civil society.

As a result, both parties, AGK and KPC, agreed to monitor and evaluate new regulation over a month. During this period, AGK encourages all journalists to present their difficulties during their work.

All remarks and recommendations during a month, including AGK comments, will be addressed at the next meeting between AGK, KPC and the media.

SKOPJE, 20.05.2019 – This morning the Managing Board of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia had a meeting on the abolition of the verdict against the journalist Tomislav Kezharovski and the decision of the Supreme Court to return the case to a retrial. At the meeting it was reviewed the decision of the Supreme Court on the case of Kezharovski and unanimously decided that the AJM would insist on fairness of the Court and the Public Prosecution whiled deciding about this case until Kezharovski is set free.

Over the past few years, AJM has continuously supported Kezharovski and will defend this position until justice is done. Therefore, we ask the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office to withdraw the indictment against our colleague Kezharovski, who was unlawfully accused, and then convicted. By doing so, the BPP will show that it finally decides independently and impartially in the interests of justice. Given that the Supreme Court has returned the case to a retrial, we call on the Skopje Criminal Court to reject the indictment and thus demonstrate that freedom of speech in this country is guaranteed as a fundamental human right.

This is an excellent opportunity for the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Criminal Court to demonstrate fairness and ultimately put an end to a long and unlawful case against the journalist and the Former Deputy Chairman of the AJM, Tomislav Kezharovski.

We remind that because of this case, North Macedonia, as one of the rare countries that had a journalist in prison, was pointed out as a “not free” country in which journalistic rights and freedoms are not respected. The suffering of Kezharovski affected the image of our country in front of the world, and this was noted in all reports. We don’t want that to happen again.

Therefore, now is the time to make the correction and to show that the institutions in Macedonia have the capacity to provide an environment in which journalists and media workers can freely and safely perform their work in the interest of the public.

AJM will continue to follow the development of this case by monitoring the work of the judicial authorities until Kezharovski is set free.

Kezharovski was accused of revealing the identity of a protected witness, but the public knows that in his writings he never unveiled the identity, while later during the procedure was proven that the protected witness was false. Taking this into consideration, it is obvious that his case was created in order to shut his criticism.

PODGORICA, 20.05.2019. – The trade union organisation “Public service – Radio Tivat” is a new member of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG). The decision to join this organisation to membership of SMCG was made by the Main Board last week.

Radio Tivat is one of the most stable local public broadcasters in Montenegro and its employees were not exposed to financial difficulties, which is typical of similar media, and we hope that good practice will continue in the future.

By accepting membership of colleagues from Tivat, the Main Board has been enlarged to 15 members. The new member of the Main Board on behalf of the Trade Union of Radio Tivat will be journalist Željko Komnenović.

Radio Tivat is the eighth local public broadcaster whose employees are members of SMCG.

Main Board SMCG

SARAJEVO, 17.05.2019. –  Regionalna platforma za zagovaranje slobode medija i bezbjednosti novinara koja zastupa više od 8.000 članova, najoštrije osuđuje fizički napad na kamermana Radio-televizije Tuzlanskog kantona Ademira Mešanovića  i poziva policiju i nadležne pravosudne organe da u što kraćem vremenskom roku istraže ovaj napad i kazne napadače.

Kamermana Ademira Mešanovića napao je pripadnik privatne firme za obezbjeđenje „Cobra“ dok je sa ostalim novinarskim ekipama snimao deložaciju porodica čija se imanja nalaze u neposrednoj blizini  površinskog kopa rudnika Kreka.  Tom prilikom pripadnik obezbjeđenja je iz ruku Mešanovića istrgnuo kameru, bacio je u blato i oštetio je, a ostalim novinarskim ekipama potpuno zabranio snimanje i pristup mjestu događaja.

Regionalna platforma Zapadnog Balkana za zagovaranje slobode medija i bezbjednosti novinara smatra da su napad na Mešanovića, kao i zabrana snimanja novinarskim ekipama nedopustiv atak na slobodu izražavanja i bezbjednost rada medijskih profesionalaca, te predstavljaju posebno brutalan pokušaj sprečavanja medija da izveštavaju o događaju od javnog interesa, kakav jeste deložacija i sudbina porodica koje žive u blizini  rudnika.

„Fizički napad na Mešanovića samo je jedan u nizu primjera ugrožavanja temeljnih medijskih sloboda u BiH. Zabrinjavajuće je da  iza ovog napada stoji uprava državne kompanije Rudnika uglja Kreka, koja je naredila zabranu snimanja i za tu priliku angažovala privatnu zaštitarsku firmu“, objasnio je  Marko Divković, predsednik Udruženja BH novinara, podsjetivši kako je nekažnjivost napada na novinare i neefikasno postupanje policijskih i pravosudnih organa postalo praksa u BiH i ozbiljan atak na medijske slobode.

„Ova vrsta napada na novinare, dodatno učvršćuje stav Udruženja BH novinari o potrebi hitne izmjene krivičnih zakona  radi efikasnijeg  i hitnog postupanja pravosuđa u zaštiti prava i sigurnosti novinara“,  naglasio je  Marko Divković.

Regionalna platforma Zapadnog Balkana za zagovaranje medijskih sloboda i bezbjednosti novinara podržava reakciju Udruženja BH novinari  u hitnom porcesuiranju napada na Mešanovića. U BiH je, inače, od početka 2019. godine registrovano 20 napada u bazi safejournalists.net.

Regionalna platforma još jednom naglašava kako je svaki  napad na novinare direktan atak na slobodu informisanja i pravo građana da budu informisani.  U skladu sa tim, Platforma će obavijestiti sve evropske institucije o ovom incidentu i zatražiti njihovu intervenciju u sferi zaštite medijskih sloboda i bezbjednosti novinara u regionu Zapadnog Balkana.

Skoplje – Beograd – Podgorica – Prishtina – Sarajevo- Zagreb, 17.05.2019.

Udruženje/udruga BiH novinari

Sindikat medija Crne Gore

Hrvatsko novinarsko društvo

Udruženje novinara Kosova

Udruženje novinara Makedonije

Nezavisno udruženje novinara Srbije

SARAJEVO, 17.05.2019 – The Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety, which represents more than 8,000 members, strongly condemns the physical attack on RTV TK cameraman Ademir Mesanovic. It calls the competent judicial authorities and police to process and adequately punish attackers as soon as possible.

Ademir Mesanovic was attacked by member of a private security company “Cobra” while covering the eviction of families form their properties near the Kreka mine. Member of the security company grabbed Mesanovic’s camera, damaged it and threw it in mud. Other present media crews were banned the filming and accessing the area.

The Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety considers the attack on Mesanovic and prohibition of filming an unacceptable attack on freedom of expression and safety of media professionals. It is a particularly brutal attempt to prevent the media from reporting about an event of public interest, and the eviction and destiny of families living near the mine is such event.

“The physical attack on the Mesanovic is just another examples of endangering basic media freedoms in Bosnia and Herzegovina. What is worrying is that the State company of the Kreka mine is behind this attack. It ordered banning the filming and hired a private security company”, explained president of BH Journalists Association (BHJA) Marko Divkovic. Divkovic added that the impunity of attack on journalists and the ineffective treatment of police and judicial bodies has become a practice in BiH and, as such, is a serious attack on media freedom.

“This type of attack on the journalists further reinforces the position of BHJA regarding the need for urgent change of criminal laws in regards to more efficient and urgent action by the judiciary in the protection of journalists’ rights and safety,” emphasized Marko Divkovic.

The Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety supports BHJA call for urgent prosecution of an attack against Mesanovic. Since the beginning of 2019 it recorded 20 attacks on journalists in BH in its safejournalists.net database.

It once again emphasizes that every attack on journalists is direct attack on freedom of information and the right of citizens to be informed. The Platform will inform all European institutions of this incident and request their intervention in the area of media freedom and security of journalists in the Western Balkans region.

Every attack on journalists is an attack on the public interest, democracy, and rights of all citizens.

Skopje – Belgrade – Podgorica – Pristina – Sarajevo – Zagreb, 17.05.2019.

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

ZENICA, 17. 05.2019. – Razočaranost u pravosudni sistem, dugotrajnost sudskih postupaka, uzaludnost procesa i percepcija nasilja kao normalnog oblika komuniciranja su razlozi zbog kojih novinarke najčešće ne prijavljuju napade i pritiske, istaknuto je na radionici o temi  „Položaj i zaštita novinarki u bh. medijima“  koju je organizovalo Udruženje/udruga BH novinari  jučer  u Zenici.

Sa druge strane,  ni same novinarke nisu dovoljno educirane o svojim pravima,  nisu upoznate sa zakonskim okvirom kao ni sa domaćim i međunarodnim mehanizmima zaštite radnih i socijalnih prava,  protiv diskriminacije i za ravnopravnost muškaraca i žena u medijskim kućama. To su razlozi zbog kojih novinarke i druge medijske radnice ne vjeruju da će adekvatno biti zaštićene, zbog čega često deceniju i više trpe različite oblike  profesionalnog i rodno zasnovanog nasilja.

Velida Kulenović, predsjednica Kluba novinara Zenica ocijenila je veoma značajnim prošlogodišnje formiranje  Mreže novinarki u BiH, kako bi se same  novinarke  snažnije borile za svoja prava, educirale i zagovarale veću zastupljenost žena na upravljačkm i uredničkim pozicijama u medijima. Kulenović smatra da je podrška  ove mreže  novinarkama  lokalnih medija veoma važna jer se u njima sve više krše prava novinara i novinarki i upravo zbog toga je potrebno što više govoriti o mehanizmima zaštite.

„Novinarke svakodnevno izvještavaju o pravima drugih, ali nemaju dovoljno vremena ni saznanja kako zaštiti svoja prava i kako se boriti za njihovo ostvarenje“, smatra Kulenović dodajući da je neophodna konstantna edukacija kako novinarki, tako i predstavnika pravosudnih institucija, ali i policijskih službenika.

BH novinari su proveli i istraživanje koje je pokazalo da su žene slabo zastupljene u ozbiljnim informativnim sadržajima, da se često predstavljaju u iskrivljenom kontekstu, kao i da novinarke mnogo teže napreduju unutar medijske industrije za razliku od muških kolega, posebno na mjestima gdje se vijesti definiraju, formulišu i distribuišu.

„Žene se nalaze na samo 24% rukovodećih pozicija u bh. medijima, dok je udio žena na poziciji direktorice 25,3%, a muškaraca je 74,7%. Istraživanje je pokazalo također da je najlošija rodna struktura na direktorskim pozicijama u TV sektoru gdje žene zauzimaju  blizu 16 posto  direktorskih pozicija“,  ističe generalna tajnica Borka Rudić, naglašavajući da je najviše žena na poziciji glavne i odgovorne urednice u radijskom sektoru, a najmanje u online sektoru.

Razlozi za  mali broj  žena na pozicijama odlučivanja i moći unutar medijskih kuća jednim  dijelom leži  u slaboj upoznatosti samih novinarki sa njihovim ženskim pravima, ali i u činjenici da u medijskim kućama ne postoje interni pravilnici o napredovanju, rodnoj ravnopravnosti, sprečavanju dskriminacije i drugim segmentima  regulisanja  položaja i prava novinarki.

Duška Andrić iz Centra pravne pomoć ženama iz Zenica kaže da se novinarke skoro nikako ne javljaju da traže pravnu zaštitu i pomoć,  ali i da to nije ništa novo jer žene generalno manje prijavljuju bilo koju vrstu nasilja, diskriminaciju, prijetnje, mobing itd.

„Novinarke ne prijavljuju kršenje njihovih prava i nemaju povjerenja baš kao i ostali građani i građanke, ali problematično je što one ne znaju ništa više od običnih građana o svojim pravima, a trebali bi da znaju, ako ne zbog sebe onda zbog svoje publike koju bi trebali da educiraju jer je to u konačnici jedna od osnovih funkcija medija: edukacija“,  smatra Andrić.

Ova radionica je samo jedna u nizu  aktivnosti koje BH novinari planiraju u narednih pola godina sa ciljem da osnaže medijske profesionalke da glasnije i jasnije zagovaraju poštivanje njihovih ženskih ljudskih prava, kao i da u konačnici obezbjede veću zastupljenost žena na rukovodećim pozicijama u medijskoj industriji. Nova edukativna radionica za novinarke je planirana za 23. maj u Mostaru, gdje će se sa predstavnicama hercegovačkih lokalnih i javnih medija diskutovati o problemima sa kojima se suočavaju žene u novinarstvu.

Radionice su dio projekta „Jačanje mreže novinarki u BiH“ koji realizuje Udruženje/udruga BH novinari  kroz Program za osnaživanje nezavisnih medija (IMEP projekat) i uz podršku Pree Press Unlimited iz Holandije.