SARAJEVO, June 14 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina's Helsinki Committee for Human Rights has assessed that Bosnian authorities have been building up pressure on the media. "The situation in the area of the media freedom is very grave
although there are countries where the situation is even worse. It is of little comfort to say such (worse) countries are Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) and Belarus," said the head of the Helsinki Human Rights Committee in Bosnia, Srdjan Dizdarevic, at a news conference in Sarajevo on Monday. This committee predicted last year that the media would face additional pressure from those in power, and that's why it set up a special project for monitoring and registering the situation in this area since the beginning of 1999. Dizdarevic cited drastic examples of intimidation of reporters such as the May physical attack against journalists of Croatia's daily "Novi List" in Most
SARAJEVO, June 14 (Hina) - Bosnia-Herzegovina's Helsinki Committee
for Human Rights has assessed that Bosnian authorities have been
building up pressure on the media.
"The situation in the area of the media freedom is very grave
although there are countries where the situation is even worse. It
is of little comfort to say such (worse) countries are Yugoslavia
(Serbia/Montenegro) and Belarus," said the head of the Helsinki
Human Rights Committee in Bosnia, Srdjan Dizdarevic, at a news
conference in Sarajevo on Monday.
This committee predicted last year that the media would face
additional pressure from those in power, and that's why it set up a
special project for monitoring and registering the situation in
this area since the beginning of 1999.
Dizdarevic cited drastic examples of intimidation of reporters
such as the May physical attack against journalists of Croatia's
daily "Novi List" in Mostar.
In addition, Information Minister in the Republic of Srpska (one of
the two Bosnian entities), Rajko Vasic, received threats after he
tried to ease the grip of a Greater Serb concept on the media in this
part of Bosnia.
Vasic's car was burnt in Banja Luka, whereas the dismissed
President of the Bosnian Serb entity, radical Nikola Poplasen
accused Vasic of "crimes against Serb people."
Commenting on the pressure to which the media are exposed,
Dizdarevic criticised statements of Croatian Democratic Union of
Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) officials, Zoran Tomic and Ivan
Bender, directed against the maintenance of the Radio and
Television of Bosnia-Herzegovina (RTV BiH) as a state institution.
He also criticised statements of the Islamic religious leader in
Bosnia, Reis Mustafa Efendi Ceric, who blamed the RTV BiH, for "
catholicising Moslems" by its coverage and programmes on Catholic
holidays.
Obviously Reis Ceric considers RTV BiH as Moslem television,
Dizdarevic added.
He pointed to the inadmissible conduct of the mayor of the central
Bosnian town of Zenica, Ferid Alic, who is threatening to dismiss
journalists and interfering into the editorial policy of the local
media.
Dizdarevic said this Committee would particularly advocate the
revocation of provisions on libel and slander from the penal code of
the Bosnian Federation (the Croat-Moslem entity).
He cited the example of Senad Avdic, the editor-in-chief of the
"Slobodna Bosna" weekly who is being sued for at least 12 cases of
the alleged libel. According to Dizdarevic, these are evidently
attempts to restrict the freedom of expression.
The Helsinki Committee will initiate, in the parliamentary
procedure, the transfer of libel from the penal code into
litigation.
This autumn the Committee is to publish a thorough analysis of the
situation in the rights and freedom of the media in Bosnia.
(hina) ms