24/7/2019: NORTH MACEDONIA – POLICE AGAINST JOURNALIST

Vienna, 24 July 2019

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is surprised by methods used by the police in Skopje. Today, upon a previous invitation from the Ministry of Interior, journalist Ljupce Zlatev had a conversation with officials from the Department of Cyber-crime and Digital Forensics at the Ministry of Interior. According to Zlatev, they discussed about his previous posts on the online media where he works as an editor, related to suspected crimes by the Secretary General of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, Dragi Rashkovski.

During the conversation at the Ministry of Interior, Zlatev was asked to confirm whether he was the author of these reports as well as to reveal the source of the published information. Zlatev refused to provide information about his source.

The Constitution of Republic of North Macedonia guarantees the right to protect the source of information in the media and this right is enshrined in the Law for Media.

Vienna, 18 July 2019

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is suporting the last statementy by the Croatian Journalists Association (HND). HND said on Thursday it was appalled by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic’s “scandalous statements … unworthy of the office she holds, in which she shamefully instructs journalists how to do their job.”

“The Croatian president’s message to our colleagues, ‘Don’t follow foreign media, which work in I don’t know whose interest’, aside from accusing our foreign colleagues in a very ugly way and without any arguments, is trying to discipline journalists in Croatia in a very perfidious way to do their job by blindly believing only one side, representatives of the authorities, and not their colleagues, whom she virtually labelled as enemies of Croatia,” the HND said in a press release.

Journalists asked the president to comment on the criticisms in world’s media of her admission in an interview for Swiss public broadcaster SRF that Croatian police use violent pushback in dealing with migrants, the HND said, adding that after her statements received negative reactions at home and abroad, the president blamed the Swiss broadcaster.

“The president ended her statement with an instruction to journalists: ‘As Croatian media you must present the Croatian side of the story. Don’t follow foreign media which work in who knows whose interest.’ This reminds us of the 1990s when some journalists, apologists of the then authorities, publicly said: ‘If necessary, I will lie for Croatia,” the HND said.

Journalists’ job is not to work in the interest of any policy but in public interest, HND added.

The president also recently criticised media outlets for misinterpreting her statements.

Vienna, 13 July 2019

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemned the grenade attack on the office building of Ukrainian TV channel 112 Ukraine in Kyiv.

In the night 12/13 July 2019 an unknown person shot at the premises of the channel with a grenade launcher. No one was injured.

Vienna, 11 July 2019

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is supporting the Independent Association of Serbia’s Journalists (NUNS). NUNS condemned on Thursday the statement by a senior official of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) headed by President Aleksandar Vucic for accusing the journalists of imperilling the state security by asking some questions, the FoNet news agency reported.

In a parliamentary debate, Aleksandar Martinovic, the chief of the SNS Deputy Club, said reporters, as well as the NGOs, posted security-sensitive questions calling upon the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, and that they did not wish well to their country.

He also accused former Commissioner of Information of Public Importance Rodoljub Sabic of working for foreign security agencies and Serbia’s opposition and against the SNS and Serbia.

NUNS said the questions the journalists asked about some affairs had nothing to do with the security of the state, but the problem was that they never received answers, despite their and Sabic’s insistence.

The Association added it would inform the international organisations and journalists’ associations and media and request their reaction regarding the latest accusations by the members of the country’s authorities.

Vienna, 5 July 2019

The South East Europe Media Organisaton (SEEMO) condemns the yesterday (on 4 July) attack of the headquarters of the Athens Voice weekly by a group of anarchists in Athens. Approximately 12 masked individuals stormed into offices of the weekly armed with steel bars. None of the journalists was injured.

In a post published on video-sharing website LiveLeak, a Greek anarchist group claimed credit for the attack

SEEMO urges the Greek authorities to do everything possible to ensure that acts of violence of this kind do not go unpunished.

Vienna, 2 July 2019

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) conednmns death threats in a comment on the YouTube channel, against authors and hosts of the “The good, the bad, and the evil” show on the local TV in Sabac.

According to the threat, a person wrote that he will kill them when he comes to power,” because “being a Serb means the highest goal and the readiness to sacrifice.”

Vienna, 28 June 2019

The South East Europe Media Organisatiion (SEEMO) condemns Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has threatened Peter Tiede, chief reporter of the BILD daily from Germany, with legal action.

Bild published an article in the online editon on 5 June 2019 which accuses the chief of government of using mafia money to buy votes during the 2017 election. The newspaper supported the report with telephone wiretap tapes.

Rama announced that he would go to a German courts and sue reporter Peter Tiede working for Bild.

Vienna, 20 June 2019

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is shocked to learn that Vadym Komarov, an Ukranian journalist, died today from the head injuries he sustained in an attack on 4 May in Cherkasy.

Vienna, 9 June 2019

The South East Europe Media Organisation
condemns the violent actions taken against at least 16 journalists during the protests and events of on 7, 8 and 9 June 2019. Protesters and politicians threatened the journalists who wanted to cover the event.