(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is deeply disturbed by the 22 October 1999 violent attack against Zeljko Kopanja, the founder and chief editor of “Nezavisne Novine”, the largest independent Serb daily in Bosnia-Hercegovina. **Updates IFEX alert of 22 October 1999 The 45-year-old Kopanja lost both his legs when a car bomb exploded in front of his home […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is deeply disturbed by the 22 October 1999 violent attack
against Zeljko Kopanja, the founder and chief editor of “Nezavisne Novine”,
the largest independent Serb daily in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
**Updates IFEX alert of 22 October 1999
The 45-year-old Kopanja lost both his legs when a car bomb exploded in front
of his home in Banja Luka at around 8 a.m. (local time) on 22 October, while
the journalist was on his way to work. The bomb detonated when Kopanja
opened the door of his car.
Kopanja won international praise recently for publishing the first detailed
accounts of Serb war crimes against Bosnian Muslims published in Bosnian
Serb media. Nezavisne Novine’s first article on the subject argued that the
atrocities were part of a premeditated campaign of ethnic cleansing against
Muslims and other non-Serbs.
The piece also questioned why local authorities had failed to investigate
and prosecute suspected war criminals, apparently prompting the republic’s
prosecutor to reopen his investigation into the atrocity allegations. In a
follow-up article published one week later, the paper quoted testimony from
witnesses at the Hague war crimes tribunal.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
self-censorship among journalists in the Serb republic of Bosnia-Hercegovina
freedom and to ensure the universally-recognized right of journalists to
practice their profession freely and safely
found
responsible
Appeals To
His Excellency Zivko Radisic
Republika Srpska Member of the Bosnia-Hercegovina Presidency
Fax: +387 78 212177His Excellency Milorad Dodik
Prime Minister
Republika Srpska
Fax: +387 78 30103
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
