N1 television journalist, Ksenija Pavkov, has received the European Union’s regional award for investigative journalism for her documentary film “In the Network,” which investigates the operations of criminal smuggling gangs preying on refugees and migrants who have been active in Serbia for years.

The N1 journalist won first place, while other awardees included BIRN journalist Sasa Dragojlo for the story “The Albanian Connection: Kalashnikovs Fuel Smuggling Gang Wars in Northern Serbia,” and journalists Ajdin Kamberi and Vanja Stojic for the documentary film “Brother,” which tells the story of the suffering of refugees along the migration route.

The jury included former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic, journalist Drago Hedl, and Turkish journalist Can Ertuna.

At the ceremony in Ankara, Ksenija Pavkov thanked the team that participated in the making of the documentary film “In the Network,” including cameraman Aleksandar Milanovic, documentary program editor Maja Nikolic, editor Igor Lakic, as well as the entire N1 television team for their support during the investigation:

“‘In the Network’ is a story about how criminal smuggling gangs profit from the misfortune of others, but it is only a small piece of the enormous puzzle of the refugee and migrant crisis that has lasted for years and is witnessed by all the countries in the region.”

The EU Award for Investigative Journalism was awarded among 283 investigative stories from the Western Balkans and Turkey, of which 243 competed in national competitions, while 40 were selected for the best investigative stories in the region.

The EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2024 project is organized by Thomson Media, a recognized organization dedicated to media development and the promotion of media freedom worldwide. The competition is organized as part of the project “Strengthening Quality Journalism in the Western Balkans and Turkey II,” aimed at improving the visibility of quality journalism throughout the region.

The project is funded by the European Union and implemented by a consortium consisting of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network – BIRN Hub, Central European University (CEU) – Hungary, Association of Journalists (AJ) – Turkey, Thomson Media (TM) – Germany, Goce Delcev University of Stip (UGD) – North Macedonia, Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) – North Macedonia, Media Association of Southeast Europe (MASE) – Montenegro, and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Kosovo (BIRN Kosovo).