SETimes.comBiH investigative programme endures threats, violent attacks
03/04/2009
Recent attacks on crews of the BiH TV programme "60 Minutes" indicate that media freedom may be shakier than ever before in BiH.
By Jusuf Ramadanovic for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo -- 03/04/09
Media freedom, always vulnerable in the Balkans, recently hit a new snag in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) when the editor-in-chief of the investigative programme "60 Minutes", Bakir Hadziomerovic, almost resigned, citing fear for the lives of himself and his staff.
The show's dogged reporters and camera crews have endured physical or verbal attacks from politicians and religious leaders of all stripes, as well as from the police. It airs on BiH's FTV.
The latest major incident occurred on March 18th, when around 30 residents of Trebinje, Republika Srpska (RS), attacked a "60 Minutes" crew trying to film the local Serb Orthodox church and then surrounded the NGO office in which the crew took refuge. The local police reportedly stopped the mob from attacking the crew but did nothing to disperse it.
Reporter Slobodan Vaskovic and his colleagues identified the instigators of the event as the driver and relative of the local Serbian bishop. FTV issued a press statement after the incident calling upon authorities to stop the growing pressure on local journalists.
Vaskovic has been investigating the alleged corruption of RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik and his ties to the Orthodox Church. Dodik has expressed his hope that Vaskovic would contract "high blood pressure" and suffer "heart failure" someday.
The RS leader has little use for Vaskovic's show either, claiming it represents "fundamentalists from Tehran", his favoured term for the increasing number of radical Islamist Wahhabi groups in Sarajevo.
Another "60 Minutes" crew encountered a similarly hostile reception from villagers in Gluha Bukovica, FBiH. The programme has antagonised some BiH Muslims by reporting on the spread of the Wahhabi movement.
In this case, the "60 Minutes" crew sought to investigate the alleged molestation of young girls by a local imam -- who faced similar accusations from parents in Travnik two years ago. Many observers, even some Muslims, believe the Islamic community has been overly protective of the cleric, not suspending him until a court finally pronounced him guilty.
Angry villagers attacked the reporter and crew, who filmed the entire episode, including a large man shouting, "I will run right through you!"
While otherwise having little in common with Dodik, the BiH grand mufti, Mustafa Efendija Ceric, shares his low opinion of the programme. He accuses it of "communist plotting against Islam" and "Islamophobia". According to him, "60 Minutes" is trying to use the Gluha Bukovica scandal to discredit the Islamic community.
Attacks on reporters increased in 2008 and the first few months of 2009, compared to previous years, representatives of BiH journalism associations say.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) Secretary-General Oliver Vujovic condemns such attacks. "It is ... essential that reporters are able to work in an open environment and without fear of harassment," Vujovic said. "To threaten a TV crew and prevent it from carrying out its work is a serious attack on press freedom and must be prevented from occurring in the future."