Successful Steps towards the Future

During this year, BIRN-Justice Report published around 3,500 reports, analysis and interviews. BIRN also published a legal analysis through which we pointed out to the authorities that they violate both domestic and international regulations when it comes to anonymisation and transparency.
 
Our reports were republished in media in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as across the region. A total of about 8,000 reports were republished. BIRN journalists, besides reporting on war crimes, visited ten cities in the country to speak with more than 50 people, and to point out the importance of dealing with the past.
 
During the year, about 500,000 people visited the BIRN-Justice Report website. The majority of visitors were from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States, Croatia, Serbia, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Russia and Australia.
 
In the summer, BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina launched a campaign called “Stop Censorship on War Crimes” with the aim of highlighting the need for the anonymisation of judicial and prosecutorial acts be resolved, and to raise public interest when it comes to war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
The campaign was supported by citizens signing a petition on www.justice-report.com  as well as on social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
 
The success of the campaign is visible through the new attitudes of judicial institutions, as well as through conclusions of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (VSTV) in which they stated that anonymisation is no longer required.
 
Contribution to the Development of Society
 
In addition to the monthly review of trials, the public in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad could watch and listen to our TV programme “TV Justice” regarding judicial and other issues prevalent in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s society.
 
During the year, the BIRN-Justice Report team was also present at the site of excavation of remains in Tomasica, the largest mass grave and found in the municipality of Prijedor.
 
Stories about camps in the areas of Vogosca and Prijedor were also topics of “TV Justice”, with special emphasis on the 20 years since the closure of Manjaca detention camp, where we talked to survivors and pointed out problems of families who are still searching for their loved ones.
 
We recorded a reconstruction of events with Hasan Hasanovic, who as a boy, unlike his father and twin brother, survived “the march of dead” from Potocari to Tuzla.
 
During its fourth year of broadcast, “TV Justice” recorded its first regional documentary story regarding 20 years of work of The Hague Tribunal, which was broadcast as a special edition of the programme. Eminent persons from the field of justice, victims and civil society spoke about the work of The Hague Tribunal.
 
During the year, the number of media outlets that transmit TV Justice has risen. With three new channels, two of which are on satellite, the programme is broadcast by a total of 25 channels in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad.
 
“When a higher number of local media begin to transmit TV Justice, as well as other contents of BIRN’s work, the public will realise that there is no “us” and “them”, but that there are criminals who have a name, and evidence which confirms that their crimes exists, as well as that victims of these crimes exist”, said Elvir Halilovic, editor-in-chief of Radio-Television Vogosca.
 
Topics related to dealing with the past and trials of war crimes are of great importance for our country, considers Nermin Kervic, editor-in-chief of TV Brcko District, noting that therefore the role of BIRN in the media landscape is important.
 
The Most Striking Parts of the Trial
 
In addition to television, BIRN-Justice Report this year continued with the production and distribution of radio content.
 
Since 2009 until today, 213 BIRN-Justice Radio Magazines have been broadcast. In the Magazine, which lasts 15 minutes, listeners can hear everything regarding major war crimes trials before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as before The Hague Tribunal. This is supplemented by analysis regarding the non-prosecution of war crimes and other topics related to dealing with the past.
 
Radio Justice Magazine prefers sound inserts from the courtroom, for example, testimonies of witnesses, indictees, and of addressing of judges, prosecutors and defence attorneys.
 
Because of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s decision to issue ten-minute clips from the beginning of the trials to public, the content of the programme that we broadcast was “poorer” in relation to previous issues because the most striking parts of the trials were missing.
 
BIRN Radio Justice also broadcast a weekly five-minute summary of trials of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who are on trial before The Hague Tribunal for genocide and crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
Among others, Valeria Galic, President of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azra Miletic, Judge of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serge Brammertz, chief prosecutor at The Hague Tribunal, Bruno Vekaric, deputy chief prosecutor for war crimes in Serbia historian Bojan Dimitrijevic, spoke this year to Justice Radio.
 
We analysed the performance and efficiency of judicial institutions, as well as the criteria for the prosecution of war crimes, the problem of denial of information from trials of war crimes, rights of the indictees and unequal laws.
 
We pointed out some of the unprocessed crimes, such as the killing of civilians in Orlis near Konjic, where families are waiting for justice for more than 20 years, and we also broadcast personal memories of survivors.
 
In the radio show “Local Justice under Spotlight”, listeners were able to hear content regarding most interesting trials that took place in the entities courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, BIRN correspondents from Bihac, Mostar, Banja Luka, Gorazde, Bijeljina, Tuzla, Zenica, Trebinje, Sarajevo, Livno, Doboj and Brcko District produced audio content on all relevant topics related to transitional justice in these communities.
 
Beside weekly and monthly radio shows, BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina also distribute daily reports to radio stations. Such reports could be read on www.justice-report.com.
 
Irena Antic, editor of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Radio programme “Step to Justice” said BIRN content that is used on Federation Radio was “very important” this year.
 
“‘Local Justice under the Spotlight’ has its own audience, and for us, the journalists interested in these topics who would not otherwise be able to cover these stories, the content of these shows contribute to our building of the mosaic in relation to the whole region, judiciary, justice, and dealing with the past and the building of confidence”, said Antic.
 
Regarding other BIRN content, Antic said that they are made in a manner which is very easy to listen to.
 
“The whole engagement of BIRN is noteworthy and praiseworthy since BIRN’s journalists are profiled for this area and are the address for all of us. The Rulebook of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding anonymisation and the use of 10-minute recordings from the courtrooms complicate and slow down work for all of us”, said Antic.
 
During the year, BIRN, together with the Association of Court Reporters, organised a series of meetings with representatives of the judiciary and the media in order to improve transparency but also the responsibility of journalists.
 
During the year, representatives of BIRN were guests on various television and radio programmes, speaking about current judicial issues. They gave 51 statements, individually or for groups of media in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
 
Moreover, we have hosted more than one hundred students from various universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe and beyond.