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Shrinking Spaces in the Western Balkans

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Shrinking Spaces in the Western Balkans Sarajevo, 2016. Sarajevo, 2016. About the publication SHRINKING SPACES IN THE WESTERN BALKANS Publisher: Heinrich Böll Foundation, Office for Bosnia and Herzegovina On behalf of the publisher: Marion Kraske Prepared by: Jelena Vukobrat We gratefully acknowledge the substantial contribu- tion to the concept and realization of this publication by Mirela Grünther-Đečević. Language editing and proof reading: Adelina Stuparu Design and Layout: Triptih d.o.o. Sarajevo Cover design: Maja Ilić, Art4Smart Print: AMOS GRAF d.o.o., Sarajevo, 2016. Edition: 300 copies CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji Nacionalna i univerzitetska biblioteka Bosne i Hercegovine, Sarajevo 316.334.3:321.011.5](497-15)(082) SHRINKING spaces in the Western Balkans / [prepared by Jelena Vukobrat]. - Sarajevo : Fondacija Heinrich Böll, Ured za Bosnu i Hercegovinu, 2016. - 85 str. : ilustr. ; 17 cm Bibliografija: str. 82-85 ; bibliografske i druge bilješke uz tekst. ISBN 978-9958-577-18-5 COBISS.BH-ID 23368710 The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily constitute the views and opinions of the publisher. All articles in this publication are subject to Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 1 Table of contents Introduction – An Appeal to (re)Open Space | Marion Kraske . .3 Shrinking Space for Civil Society Actors Needs Serious Attention | Mirela Grünther-Đečević 7 - SHRINKING SPACE IN WESTERN BALKANS – CASE EXAMPLES - In the Aftermath of the Croatian "U-turn" – Damage Control for Civil Society | Vedran Horvat . 10 Populism and Crime as a Model of the Macedonian Political System | Nano Ružin . 14 Macedonia: A Captured Society | Xhabir Deralla . 21 Macedonia: Occupation of Public Space | Ivana Dragšić . 27 Serbia: Regaining Space | Dobrica Veselinović . 33 For the Locals Unwanted, for the International Community a "Necessary Evil" | Saša Gavrić 37 Public Space Belongs to Us | Dražana Lepir . 42 Albania: Shrinking Spaces, Battles and Striving to Foster Trust in Civic Activism | Alida Karakushi . 47 Republika Srpska: A Chronology of Restrictions for Civil Society Organisations | Dragana Dardić . 53 Bosnian Blues: Culture, Pressure, Suffocation | Nenad Veličković . 57 Academics under Threat – A Personal Experience | Slavo Kukić . 60 - SHRINKING SPACE AND THE ROLE OF MEDIA - Media and Public Space in Democracy | Lejla Turčilo . 64 Investigative Reporting in the Era of Shrinking Spaces | Leila Bičakčić . 70 Media in Serbia – The Fight Continues | Jelena Vasić . 74 Ways to Open Space | Dragana Dardić . 77 Bibliography . 82 3 The masked thugs came at night, demol- INTRODUCTION ished and destroyed, in order to create space for stylish apartment buildings and – AN APPEAL expensive restaurants. This night-time attack in Belgrade brought back memo- TO (RE)OPEN ries of dark times. Precisely there, where at the end of April 2016 the instruments SPACE of power of times past were once again brought back to life, should Belgrade’s so- called project of the future emerge: The Marion Kraske, Waterfront Project, a costly gigantic archi- tectural endeavor on the Sava, planned Office Director of the and developed from the very top, entirely Heinrich Böll Foundation, without civic participation. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Critics complaining about the lack of Macedonia and Albania, transparency of this investment have been Sarajevo a thorn in the side to the investors and beneficiaries of this gargantuan project: those who openly demanded that the inci- dent be investigated were threatened. The calls for help the police station received during the night of the attack went unan- swered. As the Serbian Ombudsman later determined, the police had a deal with the attackers. Welcome to Serbia, year 2016, a land which, according to the statements of its Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, is striv- ing to make its way into the European Union as soon as possible. The attack surrounding the controversial Waterfront Project is admittedly merely one of many in the region of South-East Europe, which demonstrate clearly how drastically state officials misuse their positions to quash or curtail civic participation. They often concern ostensibly meaningful large- scale projects, whose backgrounds and finances are quite murky and their posi- tive effects on the common good highly questionable. Such scenarios were also present in other Western Balkan countries; in Mac- edonia, critics of the Skopje 2014 project were discredited. This is another lavish construction project aiming at the com- plete transformation of the city center, WESTERN BALKANS THE IN SHRINKING SPACE 4 INTRODUCTION – AN APPEAL TO (RE)OPEN SPACE devised and implemented by the VMRO 129 developing countries and countries government, which has been in power for in transition, has come to this conclu- years. Thousands of citizens, who in the sion. The study yielded a sobering result: early summer of 2016, spent weeks in the in one fifth of the examined countries – streets under the motto Protestiram (I pro- out of which 74 are ruled democratically, test) to demonstrate against corruption and 55 by an authoritarian regime – there and criminal machinations of the politi- has been a significant drop in the quality cians in power, were branded enemies of of democracy and an increase in repres- the state. sion. Political participation, an important In the youngest EU member state, Cro- indicator of the state of any democracy, atia, the November 2015 elections led to is either decreasing progressively, or is a shift to the right. Since then, old enemy intentionally targeted. In 2015, CIVICUS, images have been used to silence the an organization which supports the rights opponents. Journalists who did not sup- of civil society worldwide, found restric- port the party line of the newly strength- tions of fundamental rights, such as the ened national-conservative HDZ, were right to freedom of opinion and assembly, pushed out of their positions in order to in 109 countries worldwide. destroy, to quote the Croatian Journal- Europe and its periphery are also ist Association, "any trace of support by affected by these tendencies to a concern- the government for a multicultural and ing degree. Whereas in the wake of the dis- cosmopolitan stance in the media sec- integration of the Soviet Union at the end tor". The new revisionist tones have had of the 80s/beginning of the 90s, libertarian a detrimental effect on public discourse and democratic trends emerged and the in the country: those who opposed the principles of freedom and self-determi- crude reinterpretations have been tar- nation saw a historical triumph, a quarter geted by governmental agencies, mar- of a century later, a return to anti-liberal ginalized, and intimidated. At the recent and autocratic tendencies is taking place. elections in September 2016, the new HDZ The Heinrich Boell Foundation, which leader Andrej Plenković won the elections operates in around 60 countries in the promoting "a new culture of dialogue". It thematic fields of human rights and remains to be seen whether this will also democracy, is alarmed in view of these reflect on the relationship with civil soci- developments and the resulting shrinking ety. spaces for civil society actors. The degree In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the ruling of the repression, according to the Board powers in the Republika Srpska (RS) have of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, has been trying to nip in the bud the ever- never been so high in the past 25 years. growing criticism of nepotism and mis- The mentioned tendencies often management. Citizens who practice their manifest themselves particularly on the right to freedom of expression, are penal- periphery of Europe, in the fragile struc- ized draconically. Those who think differ- tures of the Western Balkans, where the ently than the political power cliques, are instruments of state repression are utterly delivered the proverbial bill. complex: journalists are threatened, and All these scenarios follow a worldwide scholars who do not follow the party line trend: be it Thailand, Turkey or Egypt – are discredited and marginalized. For democracy has been on the decrease. instance, activists struggling against the A study published by the Bertelsmann destruction of the few park areas in the Foundation, examining developments in Albanian capital Tirana were bullied and INTRODUCTION – AN APPEAL TO (RE)OPEN SPACE 5 beaten by the police. In other places, as The countries of the Western Balkans the example of Macedonia demonstrates, right now have the opportunity to join the engaged citizens are labeled as criminals rest of Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina, by a power-hungry political clique, alleg- which after ten years of political agony edly representing a national interest. This submitted an application for candidacy narrative keeps emerging in the propa- status in February 2016, Macedonia, ganda those in power resort to: people which has been a candidate since 2014, demanding more democracy and par- Serbia, whose EU path the Prime Minister ticipation, protesting against corruption recently confirmed through the elections, and nepotism, are labeled enemies of and finally Albania, which for decades had the state, precisely by those who system- been sealed off by a paranoid dictator, is atically trample upon the common good. now opening gradually. Narcissistic power Such measures are regularly followed by cliques have been thwarting historical special NGO laws which aim at hindering chances for successful sustainable trans- the cash flow for NGOs. When it comes to formations, or have thoughtlessly jeop- repression, the governments have proved ardized – as has been the case in Croatia to be utterly resourceful. Social media – democratic achievements. plays a particularly important role here: As diverse as the approaches may be civil society actors are often discredited in individual countries, there is a com- online, their personal data and addresses mon pattern: actors, who attempt to are published – in the digital age these exercise their civic rights, are perceived measures are used by state agencies and by the political elites as obstacles to be their backers as a tested tool to outlaw overcome.
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