03/03/2009: SERBIA – PRESSURE ON MEDIA OUTLETS, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN SERBIA

Vienna, 03/03/2009

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is concerned about recent developments in Serbia, where constant pressure is exerted on media outlets, investigative journalism, and freedom of speech.

Political and police pressure were exerted on the staff of the daily newspaper Borba after it published allegedly confidential information about the decision of the Serbian Government to pay one million dollars in the case of Miladin Kovacevic, a Serbian student who fled the United States with the help of a Serbian diplomat in New York after beating up a fellow U.S. college student. SEEMO condemns the pressure exerted on Borba as a violation of editorial independence, and refers to the Law on Public Information, under which the media in Serbia are allowed to publish information of public importance regardless of the manner in which such information was discovered. The same Law ensures that journalists are not obligated to reveal the source of their information.

SEEMO also condemns the decision of the management of the Sava Congress Centre in Belgrade to prohibit a press conference of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in February. Local media organisations and the GSA, which was forced to hold its news conference elsewhere, accused the directors of the Sava Congress Centre of homophobia and discrimination against the gay and lesbian community, and demanded a public apology. After receiving severe criticism from the public media both Director of Sava Congress Centar, Dragan Vucicevic, and Dragan Djilas, the mayor of Belgrade, apologised for their behaviour according to the Serbian media. However, Boris Milicevic, the President of the GSA insists the authority should take responsibility for its actions as all citizens should be treated equal. Marko Karadzic, State Secretary of the Ministry for Human Rights, agrees with Milicevic and adds the administrative authority should be replaced or should just resign themselves and step down. It would be a moral thing to do.

SEEMO is also concerned over the threats and attacks made against Vladimir Vjestic, editor-in-chief of Radio BUS in Kovin, Serbia. On 21 February, Vjestic was threatened by a private entrepreneur from Kovin, who accused the station of biased reporting. After Vjestic warned the entrepreneur that he was going to report the threats to the police, the entrepreneur attempted to physically attack the journalist, but was prevented from doing so by the owner and a guest of the restaurant where the incident took place.

SEEMO is alarmed over these cases, all of which involve exerting direct pressure on journalists or limiting freedom of expression. It is vital for journalists and media executives to be able to report freely on current affairs and to carry out their work in safety, Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, said. Any attempts to restrict freedom of expression, whether by way of verbal or physical harassment, or sexual discrimination, are unacceptable in a democratic society.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is concerned about recent developments in Serbia, where constant pressure is exerted on media outlets, investigative journalism, and freedom of speech.
Political and police pressure were exerted on the staff of the daily newspaper Borba after it published allegedly confidential information about the decision of the Serbian Government to pay one million dollars in the case of Miladin Kovacevic, a Serbian student who fled the United States with the help of a Serbian diplomat in New York after beating up a fellow U.S. college student. SEEMO condemns the pressure exerted on Borba as a violation of editorial independence, and refers to the Law on Public Information, under which the media in Serbia are allowed to publish information of public importance regardless of the manner in which such information was discovered. The same Law ensures that journalists are not obligated to reveal the source of their information.
SEEMO also condemns the decision of the management of the Sava Congress Centre in Belgrade to prohibit a press conference of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in February. Local media organisations and the GSA, which was forced to hold its news conference elsewhere, accused the directors of the Sava Congress Centre of homophobia and discrimination against the gay and lesbian community, and demanded a public apology. After receiving severe criticism from the public media, both Director of Sava Congress Centre Dragan Vucicevic and Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas apologised for their behaviour, according to the Serbian media. However, Boris Milicevic, the President of the GSA, insists the authority should take responsibility for its actions as all citizens should be treated equally. Marko Karadzic, State Secretary of the Ministry for Human Rights, agrees with Milicevic and adds that the administrative authority should be replaced or should just resign. It would be a moral thing to do.
SEEMO is also concerned over the threats and attacks made against Vladimir Vjestic, editor-in-chief of Radio BUS, in Kovin, Serbia. On 21 February, Vjestic was threatened by a private entrepreneur from Kovin, who accused the station of biased reporting. After Vjestic warned the entrepreneur that he was going to report the threats to the police, the entrepreneur attempted to physically attack the journalist, but was prevented from doing so by the owner and a guest of the restaurant where the incident took place.
SEEMO is alarmed over these cases, all of which involve exerting direct pressure on journalists or limiting freedom of expression. It is vital for journalists and media executives to be able to report freely on current affairs and to carry out their work in safety, Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, said. Any attempts to restrict freedom of expression, whether by way of verbal or physical harassment, or sexual discrimination, are unacceptable in a democratic society.

This latest call follows the 30 January assault on journalists during a public speech in which the prime minister condemned the press for being biased in their coverage of the recent Gaza conflict. The scene turned chaotic and people in the crowd listening to the prime minister turned on photographers and other journalists.

“Although entitled to his opinions, the prime minister should exercise greater restraint when speaking about the media publicly,” IPI Director David Dadge said. “Politicians in countries such as Sri Lanka and Venezuela have often courted attacks on the media by their words and the Turkish prime minister should avoid playing the same dangerous game.”

The assault occurred during the opening ceremony of an Istanbul metro system station. In his address, Erdogan accused the media of supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza, of propagating lies, and of “standing by others rather than standing by the prime minister of the Turkish Republic.”

These comments stirred the audience to jeer at the approximately 70 reporters of both the national and international media present at the speech, according to correspondents at the scene.

During his talk Erdogan invoked the history of the Ottoman Turks’ battle at Canakkale, the Turkish name for the first world war Gallipoli campaign, after which the audience chanted “Ask us to shoot, we will shoot, ask us to die, we will die.”

Local media report that, following this, a woman shouted a comment in support of Erdogan, which others in the audience apparently misunderstood as criticism. The crowd booed and jostled her, forcing Erdogan’s bodyguards to intervene.

Journalists attempted to take pictures of the incident, but the crowd then turned upon them –first verbally with chants of “media out!”, then physically. The police stepped in, creating a barrier between the mob and the media.

The crowd’s attack on the journalists lasted over five minutes but there were no serious injuries. Erdogan made no attempt to calm the angry crowd, instead chastising the journalists for taking pictures of the disturbance rather than doing “what they had come here to do,” namely reporting on his speech.

These events took place the day after Erdogan angrily stormed off the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, following a heated discussion with Israeli President Shimon Peres about Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Erdogan has recently made several public attacks on the media.

On 10 September 2008, reacting to media coverage of the Deniz

Feneri e.V. charity scandal

Erdogan threatened the Dogan Media Group with an ultimatum, demanding they reveal their true reasons for reporting on the issue or face Erdogan revealing these himself.

IPI called on the Turkish leader to retract this ultimatum, stating that “there is no place for Erdogan to question or criticise the media’s right to report on an issue of public importance.” Erdogan then attacked IPI at a public rally on 13 September, saying that IPI had “no right to criticise him over his treatment of the country’s largest news organisation.”

Erdogan followed this on 19 September by calling on members of his party to boycott media critical of the government, and “not to take these newspapers to your homes.” Several Turkish media organisations – including IPI’s National Committee in Turkey – reacted to this pressure by issuing a joint-statement condemning the prime minister’s calls for a boycott.

Vienna, 27/02/2009

To: Milorad Dodik,

Prime Minister of Republika Srpska

H.E. Milorad Dodik
Prime Minister of Republika Srpska
Ulica kralja Petra Prvog Karadjordjevica

78000 Banja Luka
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Fax: +387 51 331 311

Your Excellency,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), condemns the accusations made by Rajko Vasic, Secretary General of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (Savez Nezavisnih Socijaldemokrata – SNSD) against the Belgrade, Serbia-based BETA News Agency and its correspondent Ljiljana Kovacevic.

On 22 February, in an interview with the local magazine, Fokus, Vasic referred to BETA in vulgar language and implied that the news agency was accepting money from foreign sources to publish false and tendentiousreports aimed at arousing public content.

Such a manner of communication comes as a surprise to SEEMO, since Vasic was himself a journalist in Bosnia and Herzegovina before the war and, from 1998 to 2000, Minister of Information of the Republika Srpska Government.

SEEMO urges Your Excellency, in your capacity as President of the SNSD, to ensure an immediate investigation into this incident and to make public your own view regarding Secretary General Radic’s unprofessional behaviour.

We further urge Your Excellency to do everything in your power to provide an environment in which the media are free to report on current events, thereby ensuring the people’s right to information.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

SEEMO Secretary General

Vienna, 25/02/2009

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is deeply concerned about the physical attack on journalist Abdulhalim Dede on 19 February while he was on-air during the morning programme, Kalimera Ellada, broadcast by the Athens, Greece-based Antenna TV.

According to SEEMO’s sources, the Turkish Ziraat Bank had invited, among others, Dimitris Stamatis, Secretary General of the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace, to attend the opening of its first branch in Komotini, Thrace, Greece. Stamatis declined because the letter of invitation was written in English and Turkish, but not in Greek, and because the city of Komotini was referred to by its Turkish name only. Abdulhalim Dede, publisher and director of the newspaper Trakyanin Sesi and owner of the radio station ISIK FM in Komotini, was invited by the hosts of Kalimera Ellada to express his opinion live from Kamotini on Antenna TV. During the interview, an unknown man approached Dede, shouted at him using obscene language, and physically attacked him. The main studio in Athens immediately terminated the live broadcasting.

Dede, who was hospitalised, is known for his promotion of the rights of the Turkish-speaking population in Thrace, Greece, and has been the target of various attacks over the years. In 2006, he received the SEEMO Human Rights Award.

SEEMO strongly condemns all physical attacks on journalists, which have no place in a democratic society. Attacks like these must be prevented from occurring in the future, said Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General. SEEMO notes with concern this increasing trend of assaults against journalists in the entire region. It calls on the authorities to demonstrate their commitment to the protection of journalists, and press freedom in general, by taking active steps to counter these disturbing developments

Vienna, 18/02/2009

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is deeply concerned over the attack on private television station TV Alter in Athens, Greece, on Tuesday, 17 February.

According to information before SEEMO, around 7:15 p.m., four armed men fired shots and threw a suspected explosive device outside the premises of TV Alter’s central offices in Athens. Luckily, no injuries were reported. The attack happened before the station’s main evening news bulletin was broadcast, when the building was full of employees. Before the gunmen opened fire, they ran into an Alter TV technician and ordered him to leave the scene. It is believed that the gunmen are members of the recently-established group, Sekta Epanastaton” (Revolutionary Sekta – sekta is the Arabic word for team, or group). One week prior to the attack, a letter sent to the daily newspaper Ta Nea threatened to kill well-known journalists working for the country’s largest TV stations (TV Alter is among them). Police have yet to release an official statement about the identity of those believed to be behind the shooting.

Commenting on the incident, Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, said, Such attacks are a serious threat to press freedom and the working environment of reporters in Greece and the entire South East European region. SEEMO urges an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident. The media play an important role in a democratic society and attacks such as these constitute a threat not only against the news media, but against democracy itself.

Vienna, 05/02/2009

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) 2 February reiterated earlier calls for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to refrain from verbal attacks on the media.

This latest call follows the 30 January assault on journalists during a public speech in which the prime minister condemned the press for being biased in their coverage of the recent Gaza conflict. The scene turned chaotic and people in the crowd listening to the prime minister turned on photographers and other journalists.

Although entitled to his opinions, the prime minister should exercise greater restraint when speaking about the media publicly, IPI Director David Dadge said. “Politicians in countries such as Sri Lanka and Venezuela have often courted attacks on the media by their words and the Turkish prime minister should avoid playing the same dangerous game.”

The assault occurred during the opening ceremony of an Istanbul metro system station. In his address, Erdogan accused the media of supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza, of propagating lies, and of standing by others rather than standing by the prime minister of the Turkish Republic.

These comments stirred the audience to jeer at the approximately 70 reporters of both the national and international media present at the speech, according to correspondents at the scene.

During his talk Erdogan invoked the history of the Ottoman Turks’ battle at Canakkale, the Turkish name for the first world war Gallipoli campaign, after which the audience chanted Ask us to shoot, we will shoot, ask us to die, we will die.

Local media report that, following this, a woman shouted a comment in support of Erdogan, which others in the audience apparently misunderstood as criticism. The crowd booed and jostled her, forcing Erdogan’s bodyguards to intervene.

Journalists attempted to take pictures of the incident, but the crowd then turned upon them -first verbally with chants of media out!, then physically. The police stepped in, creating a barrier between the mob and the media.

The crowd’s attack on the journalists lasted over five minutes but there were no serious injuries. Erdogan made no attempt to calm the angry crowd, instead chastising the journalists for taking pictures of the disturbance rather than doing what they had come here to do, namely reporting on his speech.

These events took place the day after Erdogan angrily stormed off the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, following a heated discussion with Israeli President Shimon Peres about Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Erdogan has recently made several public attacks on the media.

On 10 September 2008, reacting to media coverage of the Deniz Feneri e.V. charity scandal. Erdogan threatened the Dogan Media Group with an ultimatum, demanding they reveal their true reasons for reporting on the issue or face Erdogan revealing these himself.

IPI called on the Turkish leader to retract this ultimatum, stating that there is no place for Erdogan to question or criticise the media’s right to report on an issue of public importance. Erdogan then attacked IPI at a public rally on 13 September, saying that IPI had no right to criticise him over his treatment of the country’s largest news organisation.

Erdogan followed this on 19 September by calling on members of his party to boycott media critical of the government, and not to take these newspapers to your homes. Several Turkish media organisations – including IPI’s National Committee in Turkey – reacted to this pressure by issuing a joint-statement condemning the prime minister’s calls for a boycott.

Vienna, 04/02/2009

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute, is deeply concerned over recent death threats made against journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to information received by SEEMO, Bakir Hedziomerovic, editor-in-chief of the programme “60 Minutes”, broadcast by the television channel FBiH, and one of the country’s leading investigative journalists, received multiple death threats in connection with his reporting on alleged links between politicians and organised crime. Another journalist and a colleague of Hedziomerovic, Avdo Avdic, also received death threats linked to his reporting on organised crime in the country. Both Hedziomerovic and Avdic have been placed under police supervision and are trying to carry on with their work as journalists.

“SEEMO is deeply concerned about the reoccurrence of death threats against journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic. “We are alarmed that the number of threats against journalists has increased rapidly within the past few months. Therefore, SEEMO urges both the local and national authorities to investigate these cases and to take all necessary steps to protect the lives of journalists and freedom of the press in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A safe working environment for journalists is a fundamental principle of every democratic society and it is in the interest of democratic development in Bosnia and Herzegovina that journalists are free to report and investigate stories without fear or pressure.”

Vienna, 21/01/2009

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is deeply concerned about the current media environment in Kosovo, marked by a recent string of brutal attacks against journalists and other press freedom violations.

According to information received by SEEMO on 8 January, several journalists working for Most TV were attacked by a crowd as they were on the site of a bomb blast in Bosnjacka Mahala/ Mitrovica, which had seriously injured six fire-fighters. Mirjana Nedeljkovic, a news reporter for TV Most, was rushed to the intensive care unit at Mitrovica hospital. Her cameraman, Dejan Tanasijevic, was beaten and his camera broken.

SEEMO has monitored with concern the growing number of assaults against journalists in Kosovo.

Speaking about the situation, Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, said, SEEMO strongly condemns all threats against journalists as they are a violation of the right to freedom of expression. I therefore urge an immediate and thorough investigation into these incidents and call on the authorities to express their commitment to the safety of journalists, and the protection of press freedom in general. By doing so, the authorities will demonstrate their desire to ensure a free media environment, which is a vital aspect of a democratic society.

Vienna, 20/01/2009

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute, is deeply concerned about the recent eviction of the Albanian newspaper TemA from its premises by the Minister of Economical Affairs, Genc Ruli.

According to information received by SEEMO, the Minister of Economical Affairs cancelled unilaterally and without any further notice the newspaper’s 20-year-old contract for the premises. An unexpected police siege followed and the staff of the newspaper was evicted from their offices. The police gave no official explanation, alleging only that the orders came from Prime Minister Sali Berisha. A lawsuit issued by TemA followed and the Court of Tirana decided in favour of the newspaper on 6 January. However, neither the Minister of Economical Affairs nor the Prime Minister have responded to the Court of Tirana’s decision so far.

The eviction of TemA, which has frequently criticized official corruption, is regarded by many as a sign of the growing political pressure exerted by the Berisha government against critical voices in the media. This pressure by the authorities has led to increased self-censorship in Albania.

SEEMO strongly condemns such actions carried out by the authorities against critical media, said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic. The media is one of the key pillars of a democratic society. Journalists should therefore be able to express themselves freely and carry out their jobs without State interference. We urge the Albanian government to investigate this matter and demonstrate its commitment to the protection of press freedom in Albania.