Nezavisne novine

Early history

In 1995, shortly after the Dayton Agreement which ended the Bosnian War, Željko Kopanja co-founded Nezavisne Novine, a weekly independent newspaper, in order to "foster improved relationships among Serbs, Muslims and Croats in Bosnia". Beginning with a circulation of 4,000, the newspaper later became a daily, and its circulation climbed to 18,000 in the next five years.

In August 1999, Nezavisne Novine broke new ground by reporting on the murder of 200 Muslim civilians by Serbian police officers in 1992. With the report, the paper became the first Bosnian Serb paper to report on war crimes by Bosnian Serbs during the Yugoslav Wars. At the same time, Kopanja stated that he "stands by the thesis that no nation is genocidal or criminal, but individuals from certain nations are. I think that the Serbian people do not deserve to carry this burden ... I do not allow anyone to commit war crimes in my name or in the name of my people, nor does anyone have the right to do that."

1999 car bomb attack

Following the paper's reporting on atrocities committed by Bosnian Serbs, Kopanja was denounced by some groups as a traitor, and began to receive death threats. A nearby hospital amputated both of his legs. International supporters funded follow-up medical care for him in Austria, as well as high-quality prosthetic legs.

The bombing provoked outrage in both Muslim and Serbian media. Srpski Glas joined Nezavisne novine in printing a mostly blank front page three days after the bombing, carrying only the words "We Want to Know" to call for further investigation into the attack. Bosnian television interrupted programming to display the same message.

The perpetrators were not found, though Kopanja later stated his belief that Serbian security forces were responsible for the attack in retaliation for his reporting on war crimes. An investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation supported his contention.

Kopanja continued to edit and write for Nezavisne novine despite the attack.

References

References

1. Kadri Ackarbasic. "International Journal of Rule of Law, Transitional Justice And Human Rights". Association Pravnik Sarajevo.
2. Claire Shaeffer-Duffy. (4 February 2000). "Reporting in post-war Balkans". National Catholic Reporter.
3. Brian Whitmore. (15 October 2000). "Serb Journalist Exposes Atrocities Despite Threats, Injuries". The Boston Globe.
4. Arie Farnam. (6 September 2001). "Bosnian newspaper crosses ethnic divide". The Christian Science Monitor.
5. Terence Neilan. (23 October 1999). "World Briefing". The New York Times.
6. Amer Cohadzic. (28 August 2008). "Interview with Željko Kopanja of Bosnia-Herzegovina". Committee to Protect Journalists.
7. Nicholas Wood. (26 April 2005). "Balkan states yielding to Hague Effects of pressure show across region". International Herald Tribune.
8. "Zeljko Kopanja, co-founder and editor of Nezavisne Novine". NewsHour/PBS.