RTRS CANNOT BE BLOCKED

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 29 /SRNA/ - Speaker of the Republika Srpska National Assembly Nenad Stevandić stressed that Radio Television of Republika Srpska /RTRS/ must not be blocked under any circumstances.

Stevandić said that RTRS, as a public broadcaster established by Republika Srpska, must not be blocked, just as the operations of healthcare institutions, the police and other key services essential to the day-to-day functioning of society cannot be disrupted.

“This should also be defined by law. We will use all appropriate legal solutions available to us in this regard,” Stevandić told reporters in Banja Luka.

He said that BHRT’s outstanding debts to RTRS are much greater, and that this would also become evident.

“We will soon know the details showing that RTRS’s claims are much greater than its debts. Legal maneuvers were used in an attempt to eliminate it so that it could no longer collect debts that exceed the amount specified in the ruling on RTRS’s debts. That is true, I stand by it, and everything will become clear in the coming days,” Stevandić said.

Taking all enforceable judgments issued to date into account, courts in Republika Srpska have ruled that RTRS owes BHRT approximately BAM 23.5 million.

While new court rulings are pending, the freezing of RTRS’s bank accounts has pushed employees of the public broadcaster in Republika Srpska to the brink of financial ruin and has almost completely paralyzed its operations.