Sarajevo Tram-Line Oslobodjenje 2011-10-20

''Oslobođenje'' (; 'Liberation') is a daily

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

based in the capital city

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

. Founded on 30 August 1943, in the midst of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, on a patch of territory liberated by Partisans, in what was otherwise a German-occupied country, the paper gained recognition over the years for its high journalistic standards and is recipient of numerous domestic honors and international awards in a branch.

History and profile

''Oslobođenje'' was founded on 30 August 1943 in Donja Trnova near

Ugljevik Ugljevik ( sr-cyrl, Угљевик) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 15,710 inhabitants, while the town of Ugljevik has a population of 4,155 inhabitan ...

, as an anti-Nazi newspaper. During the

Bosnian war The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

and the

Siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav ...

, 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. In 1993, it was awarded the

Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, commonly known as the Sakharov Prize, is an honorary award for individuals or groups who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought. Named after Russian scientis ...

. The editors of ''Oslobođenje'',

Kemal Kurspahić Kemal Kurspahić (1 December 1946 – 17 September 2021) was a Bosnian journalist. He was managing editor of The Connection Newspapers in Alexandria, Virginia and founder of the media in Democracy Institute, dedicated to promoting higher standard ...

and Gordana Knežević, were named International Editors of the Year for 1993 by the

World Press Review ''World Press '' (Worldpress.org) is an independent, nonpartisan New York based magazine founded in 1974 and initially published by Stanley Foundation and Teri Schure, with an online edition which was launched in 1997. The headquarters of the ...

in New York, for their "bravery, tenacity, and dedication to the principles of journalism." Duo also received the Courage in Journalism Award in 1992 from the International Women's Media Foundation in Washington, D.C.. Kurspahić was also recipient of the Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard University in 1994, among other honors. Immediately after the war ended in 1995, editor-in-chief Mehmed Halilović accepted the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

izzouHonor Medal from the School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri for continuous publication of the daily newspaper throughout the 1992–95 siege of Sarajevo. During the war, its staff, consisting of

Bosniaks The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry ...

Bosnian Serbs The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби у Босни и Херцеговини, Srbi u Bosni i Hercegovini) are one of the three constitutive nations (state-forming nations) of the country, predominantly residing in the politi ...

, and

Bosnian Croats The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (), often referred to as Bosnian Croats () or Herzegovinian Croats () are the third most populous ethnic group in the country after Bosniaks and Serbs, and are one of the constitutive nations of Bosnia and ...

, managed to print the paper every day, with one exception. 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 of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Bosnian: ''Socijaldemokratska partija Bosne i Hercegovine'' (SDP BiH) / Социјалдемократска партија Босне и Херцеговине), also simply known as the S ...

Awards and recognition

* The Paper of the Year in 1989 (

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

) * 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 – previously the ''International Journalism Award'') * 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)

Associated journalists

* Jelena Silajdžić, human rights activist

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oslobodenje Newspapers published in Sarajevo Newspapers published in Yugoslavia Newspapers established in 1943 Sakharov Prize laureates 1943 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina