Oslobođenje

Oslobođenje

Type	Daily newspaper
Format	Berliner
Owner(s)	Sarajevo Tobacco Factory and Sarajevska Pivara (majority owners)
Editor	Vildana Selimbegović
Founded	30 August 1943
Political alignment	Left-wing
Headquarters	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Website	oslobodjenje.ba

The headquarters of Sarajevo-based newspapers Oslobodjenje and Dnevni Avaz, in 2005

Oslobođenje (Bosnian pronunciation: [oslobod͡ʑěːɲe]; English: Liberation) is a popular newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina based in the capital city Sarajevo.^[1]

History and profile

The Oslobođenje building was targeted from the beginning of the war by Serbian troops led by Ratko Mladić.

Oslobođenje was founded on 30 August 1943 in Donja Trnova near Ugljevik, as an anti-Nazi newspaper. During the Bosnian war and the Siege of Sarajevo, the Oslobođenje staff operated out of a makeshift newsroom in a bomb shelter after its 10-story office building had been destroyed. The war left five staff members dead and 25 wounded.^[2]

In 1993, it was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The editors of Oslobođenje, Kemal Kurspahić and Gordana Knezević, were named International Editors of the Year for 1993 by the World Press Review for their "bravery, tenacity, and dedication to the principles of journalism." Immediately after the war ended in 1995, editor-in-chief, Mehmed Halilovic accepted the University of Missouri [Mizzou] Honor Medal from the School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri for continuous publication of the daily newspaper throughout the 1992-1995 siege of Sarajevo. During the war, its staff, consisting of Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs, and Bosnian Croats, managed to print the paper every day except for one.

In 2006, the company was bought by way of the Sarajevo Stock Exchange by two leading city industries: the Sarajevo Tobacco Factory and the Sarajevska Pivara.

The paper is close to the Social-Democratic Party.^[3]

Awards and recognitions

• The Paper of the Year in 1989 (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
• The Paper of the Year Award in 1992 (BBC and Granada TV - Great Britain)
• Freedom Award in 1993 (Dagens nyheter-Stockholm and Politiken Copenhagen)
• Oscar Romero Award 1993 (The Rothko Chapel - Houston, Texas)
• Nieman Foundation's Louis M. Lyons Award for conscience and integrity in journalism in 1993 (Harvard University - USA)
• Achievements in Journalism Award in 1993 (Inter Press Service - Rome)
• University of Missouri Honor Medal in 1995 by the School of Journalism for continuous publication of the daily newspaper throughout the 1992-1995 siege of Sarajevo.
• Andrei Sakharov Award for Human Rights 1993 (European Parliament - Strasbourg, France)^[4]

References

1. Kadri Ackarbasic. International Journal of Rule of Law, Transitional Justice And Human Rights. Association Pravnik Sarajevo. p. 90. GGKEY:B0XLC3UWS4H. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
2. "AJR "From the Battleground To the Suburbs"". AJR. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
3. Davor Marko (2012). "Citizenship in Media Discourse in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia" (Working papers). European Research Council. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
4. Archived July 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.

External links

• Official website (Bosnian)