Vienna, 28 March 2019
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the latest physical attack in Sarajevo. Zurnal photographer Adija Kebe was attacked by a local politician.
28/03/2019: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – PHYSICAL ATTACK
25/3/2019: ITALY – CHARGE AGAINST A JOURNALIST
Vienna, 25 March 2019
The Italian minister for interior affairs, Matteo Salvini, should drop criminal defamation charges against freelance journalist Roberto Saviano that he filed in July 2018.
According to latest information from Italy, the case should be going to trial.
South East Europe Media Organisation is asking Italy to remove the Criminal defamation for journalists from the legal regulations.
23/3/2019: SLOVAKIA – AGAIN PROBLEMS WITH LAW
Vienna, 22 March 2019
According to information from Slovakia, the culture and media committee of the Slovak parliament approved yesterday on 21 March 2019 the amendment to the Press Act, which would require that media outlets publish replies from a politician or public person who claimed an outlet’s reporting damaged their, honor, dignity or privacy.
Next decission should be by the Parliament. The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) express disapproval connected to this decission.
It is not the first time that Slovakia is protecting in this form politicians and public persons. Slovakia’s 2008 press law already mandates a right of reply, SEEMO condenmned it and in 2011 the law was amended to apply only to the general public, excluding politicians and public persons.
For SEEMO this possible chagnes are a new attack on press freedom in Slovakia. The changes would make it easier for Slovak politicians and public persons to demand a right of reply in the media, even when the facts at issue were proven and verified.
The amendment has been proposed by the ruling Smer-SD party.
22/3/2019: SERBIA – THREAT AGAINST DANAS EDITOR
Vienna 22 March 2019
Božidar Andrejić, editor in the daily Danas in Belgrade informed the public about threats that he received online.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is aksing the serbian police to star a fast investigation.
10/03/2019: TURKEY – JÖRG BRASE LEFT TURKEY
Vienna, 10 March 2019
According to information before South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), Jörg Brase, the head of German public TV ZDF’s Istanbul studio, has left Turkey after the country declined, to renew his accreditation.
For SEEMO this is a clear pressure on press freedom.
8/3/2019: UKRAINE – FREE WORK FOR ORF JOURNALIST
Vienna, 8 March 2019
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) called on Ukraine to reverse its decision to ban Christian Wehrschütz, a reporter working for the Austrian public radio and TV ORF, from entering the country for one year.
According to information from Ukraine, Wehrschütz is barred from entering Ukraine for one year starting on March 6 because he poses a threat to national security and had illegally entered Russia-occupied Crimea and territories under control of Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
“Christian Wehrschütz has been working as the ORF correspondent in Ukraine for many years. This decission by Ukranian authorities is a clear violation of press freedom”, said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic.
7/3/2019: RUSSIA – NEW PRESSURE ON MEDIA
Vienna, 7 March 2019
The Duma (lower house) of the Russian Parliament passed today a package of laws with harsh penalties for “fake news” and “disrespecting” the state. The Vienna South East Europe Media Organsiation is alarmed about this new regulation.
Disrespect towards the state or society are punishable by up to 15 days in prison and “dissemination of fake news” allow the authorities to block such content immediately without reference to a judge. The new offence will be punishable by fines of up to 1,350 EUR for first offenders, and 4,000 EUR or 15 days in prison for repeat offenders. Additional regulations covers “the dissemination of patently inexact information of general interest” that could be “prejudicial to citizens, their property, safety or public order or disrupt the functioning” of a infrastructure. The penalties range from 5,400 EUR for individuals to 20,000 EUR for legal subjects.
4/3/2019: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – ATTACK
Vienna, 04 March 2019
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the attacks on the journalist’s teams of BN TV from Bijeljina and the Alternative television from Banja Luka. The atacks happened in Teslić.
27/2/2019: KAZAKHSTAN – DETENTION OF JOURNALISTS
Vienna, 27 February 2019
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is concerned about the detention of several journalists and bloggers in Kazakhstan.
Bogger Askar Shiygumarov was detained in Uralsk after leaving his house. Ashat Bersalimov, a blogger was detained in Almaty; Saniya Toiken working for Radio Free Europe and cameraman Sanat Nurbekov were detained in Zhanaozen..
23/2/2019: UKRAINE – CONCERN ABOUT SAFETY OF JOURNALISTS
Vienna, 23 February 2019
According to information before the Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) Denis Bihus, editor-in-chief of the Kiev-based independent investigative news outlet Bihus.Info, reported that he and members of his team noticed several unidentified persons monitoring their activity Also Schemes, an investigative journalism TV program published a report detailing how reporter Mykhailo Tkach and his staff member were followed in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev. According to the journalists they the vehicles used belongs to a security company owned by a Ukrainian billionaire and former member of parliament. TV programme Schemes: Corruption in Details, is a leading investigative journalistic project jointly run by public broadcaster UA:Pershyi and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.