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BIWEEKLY NOVI PRELOM
In preparations for the first multi-party elections in Bosnia
and Herzegovina in 1990, Liberal party based in Banja Luka
established the newspaper „Prelom". The paper was
reflecting the party policy and presenting its political
programme to a broaden public. As at that time nationalist
euphoria was shaking the whole country and nationalist political
parties were rapidly increasing number of their supporters,
Liberal party - like all other parties who were struggling for
civil society, non-violence and recognition of human rights
regardless ethnic, religious or all other differences - got very
slim support from voters. „Prelom" continued to appear
on a irregular basis, keeping on criticising all the moves of
ruling Bosnian Serb nationalist party which were leading towards
the separation of the state and society on the ethnic basis and
afterwards into the war.
After the beginning of the war in Bosnia and after the creation
of illegal Republic Serbska, „Prelom" was a sole public
voice opposing to all war horrors which started happening.
Therefore, its staff, especially its editor-in-chief (Dr. Miodrag
Zivanovic, professor of philosophy at Banja Luka University, one
of the outstanding intellectuals in former Yugoslavia as well as
nowadays and, at the same time, founder and the president of
Liberal party) were exposed to severe measures from the rulers -
from several rounds of forced mobilisations, over threats to
their families, to the danger for lives. „Prelom" was
finally strangled in 1933. People who were working for it, from
time to time were writing for the independent newspaper in
Belgrade and sending regular reports for Belgrade independent
„Radio B92".
After Dayton accord was signed, Liberal party immediately
re-established its newspaper. The first issue appeared in
December 1995 with the name Novi (New)Prelom. The paper’s
editorial policy is much more than reflection of the party
policy. Novi Prelom is a public stage opened to all critical
analyses of the causes for the war, responsibilities and guilt
for the committed crimes, as well as for civic and human rights
initiatives which started slowly appearing in Banja Luka region.
Novi Prelom has already established co-operation with many of the
independent media in former Yugoslavia area, regularly bringing
on its pages their articles, as well as those media are
re-printing articles from Novi Prelom. A special attention is
given to the events on the territory of Muslim-Croat Federation
part of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to the promotion of an idea of
life together in Bosnia and Herzegovina as one democratic society
in which human rights and political liberties will be guaranteed
to all of its citizens.
Novi Prelom has also started a serial of tribunes and public
discussions in Banja Luka on the most important current issues,
contributing on that way to a development of critical opinion and
revitalisation of urban culture patterns in town which were
completely destroyed by the nationalists through the past years.
People working for the paper were invited to many of
international conferences about former Yugoslavia.
Novi Prelom plans to establish the independent radio station in
Banja Luka and has a support from all independent radio stations
that already exist in Bosnia and Herzegovina, primarily from
those in Sarajevo and Tuzla.
Novi Prelom and „Radio Kameleon" are now to start
together a new project - a common newspaper which will parallely
appear in Tuzla and in Banja Luka.
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