10/04/2009: MOLDOVA – DECISION OF AUTHORITIES TO STOP FREE MOVEMENT OF JOURNALISTS – MOLDOVA

Vienna, 10/04/2009

The Vienna based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), affiliate of the International Press Institute, is disappointed to learn that on 7 April 2009, a group of journalists from Jurnalul Naþional, Evenimentul Zilei, Ziua, Realitatea TV, Associated Press, EPA, France Press, Intact Images, NewsIn, Mediafax and. Reuters, who were travelling from Romania to report from Chisinau, were stopped by the Moldovan authorities at the borders and could not enter Moldova.

Moldavian officials requested different documents from the journalists, like invitations, special healthcare insurances, and accreditations from the Moldovan government. Some of the journalists were not given any explanation as to why they could not enter Moldova.

SEEMO also supports the local journalists associations in Moldova and Romania, like the Independent Journalism Center, the Association of Independent Press, the Investigative Journalism Center, the Acces-info Center, the Young Journalist Center of Moldova, the Union of Journalists of Moldova, Broadcast Media Association and the Federation of Romanian Journalists (MediaSind), who were protesting against the steps against press freedom by the authorities in Chisinau.

According to the SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic, this is a clear restriction of the free movement of journalists.

I call on the Moldovan authorities to respect the right to the free movement of individuals, journalists and freedom of expression and reporting. Asking for an accreditation or other documents from journalists on the border was against rules, knowing, that foreign journalists need accreditation only if they wish to be accredited as permanent correspondents in Moldova or to have access to official state institutions and representatives, Vujovic added. Vujovic finally said: As I know, EU citizens need only their passport to enter Moldova, and I am asking the authorities in Moldova for a fast investigation of this cases of restriction of press freedom.

Vienna, 09/04/2009

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is disappointed to learn that on 6 April 2009 the Serbian President Boris Tadic cancelled at the last minute an interview with the accredited correspondent of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (TV ORF) in Serbia, Christian Werschuetz.

According to information before SEEMO, the interview between Tadic and Wehrschuetz was scheduled to take place before Tadic’s visit to Austria, but was cancelled because one of the questions the journalist planned to ask was considered by the president to be inappropriate and unacceptable. SEEMO was surprised by the president’s decision and criticised the practice of his office to ask journalists to provide their questions in advance of all interviews.

Commenting on the matter, Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, said:

SEEMO finds it surprising that the office of President Tadic asks journalists to provide their questions in advance of any interview and that in this particular case the interview was cancelled because of one question. We believe that journalists should be free to decide what kind of questions they would like to ask during an interview with politicians. Especially state officials should be open to answer questions, and should not base their decision on whether or not to grant an interview on the questions they demand to see in advance – a process of communication we consider unsatisfactory for the modern politician.

Vienna, 09/04/2009

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is disappointed to learn that on 6 April 2009 the Serbian President Boris Tadic cancelled at the last minute an interview with the accredited correspondent of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (TV ORF) in Serbia, Christian Werschuetz.

According to information before SEEMO, the interview between Tadic and Wehrschuetz was scheduled to take place before Tadic’s visit to Austria, but was cancelled because one of the questions the journalist planned to ask was considered by the president to be inappropriate and unacceptable. SEEMO was surprised by the president’s decision and criticised the practice of his office to ask journalists to provide their questions in advance of all interviews.

Commenting on the matter, Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, said:

SEEMO finds it surprising that the office of President Tadic asks journalists to provide their questions in advance of any interview and that in this particular case the interview was cancelled because of one question. We believe that journalists should be free to decide what kind of questions they would like to ask during an interview with politicians. Especially state officials should be open to answer questions, and should not base their decision on whether or not to grant an interview on the questions they demand to see in advance – a process of communication we consider unsatisfactory for the modern politician.

Vienna, 16/03/2009

SEEMO/IPI Condemns Physical Assault on TV Cameraman in Kosovo

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) strongly condemns the recent physical assault on Bojan Kosanin, a cameraman of the TV production Glas Juga and KiM Radio, in Silovo/Shilovo, Kosovo.

According to information before SEEMO, on 13 March, police stopped a press vehicle carrying Marijana Simic and Bojan Kosanin, a reporter and cameraman, respectively, for Glas Juga and KiM Radio, some 200 metres outside the village of Silovo/Shilovo. Kosanin was pulled out of the car by the police officers, who, without asking for his papers, pushed him up against the vehicle and started kicking him in the legs.

After assaulting Kosanin, the police officers searched the car, again without asking for papers. According to media reports, the police had performed a routine motorway check.

It is alarming that the police consider such behaviour a routine check, said Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General. He added, An open media environment allowing the free flow of information is a fundamental principle of any democratic society. SEEMO strongly condemns the physical abuse of journalists and other media workers by police officers and urges the authorities to do everything in their power to secure safe working conditions for journalists and to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

Vienna, 13/03/2009

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the recent verbal accusations levelled against the news agency Makfax by a state official in Macedonia (Republic of Macedonia/FYROM).

According to information before SEEMO, on 10 March 2009, Marjan Madzovski, Cabinet Chief of the President of the Macedonian Parliament, accused Makfax of unprofessional behaviour, inaccurate news reporting, and breaching diplomatic protocol.

Makfax had published news about Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek’s visit to Skopje based on his official agenda, which clearly specified meetings with President Branko Crvenkovski and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. Speaker of Parliament Trajko Veljanovski, who also met with Prime Minister Topolanek, was not mentioned.

When Makfax posted the news of Prime Minister Topolanek’s visit to Skopje on its website, no press release had been issued by the Cabinet of the Speaker of Parliament regarding a meeting between the Czech Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament Veljanovski. The same day, after the meeting was officially confirmed, Makfax published the news on its website.

Makfax has sought an apology from Chief of Cabinet Madzovski for the slanderous accusations, but so far none has been forthcoming.

Commenting on the accusations, SEEMO Secretary General, Oliver Vujovic, said, SEEMO strongly condemns such verbal attacks, as well as any government or state actions that involve pressure on journalists or threats to the principle of freedom of expression. Vujovic added, It is vital for journalists to be able to report freely on current affairs. Any attempts to influence media independence are unacceptable in a modern society. SEEMO therefore calls on the authorities in Skopje to put an end to political pressure on the media.

Vienna, 12/03/2009

According to information before SEEMO, on Tuesday 3 March 2009, at approximately 18:00, police stopped and searched the car of a group of journalists from the Tetovo-based Albanian-language newspaper, Shqip Media, on the outskirts of the town of Kumanovo. The police officers gave no reason for their actions and told the reporters, who identified themselves as journalists and said they were on their way to Kumanovo to cover the election campaign, to get out of the car and to stand back about two metres while they searched the vehicle and thus ignored their status of being journalists. The search lasted about 30 minutes, after which the police allowed the journalists to continue on their way to Kumanovo.

Naser Pajaziti, editor-in-chief of Shqip Media, who was one of the passengers in the car, said the journalists felt they had been treated like common criminals and complained of the delay in carrying out their assignment due to the police action.

Commenting on the incident, Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General said, SEEMO calls on the authorities in Skopje to demonstrate their commitment to the protection of journalists and to press freedom in general. The extended search of a press vehicle by police without any clear reason is unacceptable and an obstruction to the free flow of news and information. Vujovic added, I call on the police officials to provide a reason for their actions and to ensure that journalists in Macedonia (Republic of Macedonia / FYROM) are allowed to pursue their profession without hindrance or fear of harassment.

Vienna, 11/03/2009

Serbian authorities must step up their investigation into the killing of journalist and publisher Slavko Curuvija, the International Press Institute and its affiliate, the South East Europe Media Organisation, said today, one month before the 10th anniversary of his death.

Slavko Curuvija was shot dead by two masked men in front of his home in the centre of Belgrade on 11 April 1999, Serbian Orthodox Easter Sunday. He worked for various publications, including the magazine Evropljanin and the Dnevni telegraf, of which he was the director and editor-in-chief.

Curuvija, who reported extensively on the regime of Slobodan Milosevic and the developments in Kosovo, faced increasing interference with his work starting in 1998. The Dnevni telegraf was banned in October 1998, a large fine imposed on Curuvija for his publications late that year, and in early 1999 he only narrowly avoided imprisonment.

The impending 10-year anniversary of Curuvija’s death is a sad reminder of how far some are willing to go to silence critical voices, IPI Director David Dadge and SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said in a joint statement. They called on Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic to send a strong signal against such violence by stepping up the investigation.

No one has formally been charged with Slavko Curuvija’s murder. Those responsible remain unknown. Other killings of journalists in the country have also gone unsolved, including that of Milan Pantic, the Jagodina correspondent for Vecernje Novosti, slain on 11 June 2001, and of Dada Vujasinovic, of Duga magazine, killed on 8 April 1994.

IPI has called attention to the unsolved killing of Curuvija in its Justice Denied campaign (), and SEEMO has repeatedly reported on the lack of progress in the case. IPI’s General Assembly also highlighted the problem of impunity in attacks on Serbian journalists in a resolution passed at its 57th meeting, held in Belgrade in June 2008.

Vienna, 10/03/2009

The International Press Institute Monday appealed to European Commission leaders to make press freedom a priority in ongoing membership talks with Turkey amid concern over verbal attacks on news organisations and continued legal hurdles to free expression in the country.

IPI Director David Dadge held meetings with Ollie Rehn, the enlargement commissioner, and other officials to emphasize the European Union’s influence in seeking reforms during membership negotiations with Turkey. The meetings follow concerns expressed by IPI and other organisations about Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s public complaints about coverage of his government, and his appeals to supporters to stop buying newspapers that, as he told one rally, stand by others rather than stand by the prime minister of the Turkish Republic.

IPI hopes the European Commission can use its influence to encourage Prime Minister Erdogan to take a step back from his position of criticising the media and calling for boycotts, Dadge said after the meetings. The EU can play a central role in ensuring free expression and pluralistic media in candidate countries such as Turkey.

Dadge also expressed concern about Turkish laws used to prosecute journalists, including Article 301, which bans insults to the Turkish state. Although amended in 2008 to reduce the jail time from three years to one, Dadge said the law risks inciting attacks on journalists by questioning their loyalty. It has been used in the past to punish journalists and intellectuals who criticized government policies, including murdered newspaper editor Hrant Dink.

Article 301 remains a threat to free expression in Turkey, Dadge said.

The European Commission’s 2008 progress report on Turkey cites Article 301, anti-terror statutes and other laws as potential infringements on free expression. A new U.S. State Department report on human rights in Turkey also notes that such laws can restrict press freedom.

Dadge met with staff from the offices of European Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding and External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. Other issues raised during the meetings in Brussels include:

The unprecedented 380-million-euro fine for tax evasion imposed on the Dogan Media Group in February, Turkey’s largest media company and a frequent critic of the Erdogan government. Turkish authorities insist that the fine had nothing to do with Erdogan’s running feud over the company’s news coverage, but Dadge expressed concern about the timing of the fine (which came after months of criticism from the prime minister), and the potential crippling financial impact on the company.

The vital role pluralistic and diverse media can play in assuring skeptical EU countries that Turkey qualifies for EU membership.

Strong media in Turkey provide not only valuable information to a geographically large country, but a release valve for diverse opinions in a country with longstanding ethnic problems and a religious-secular divide.

IPI’s affiliate, the South East Europe Media Organisation, also urged EU representatives to ensure freedom of expression a leading condition for potential members of the bloc.

Vienna, 05/03/2009

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 concerned about the continuous attacks on the media in Greece.

According to information received by SEEMO, during the evening of 26 February 2009 the offices of the Athens-based newspaper Apogevmatini were attacked by a group of masked men throwing rocks and wielding iron. Damage was caused to the premises of the newspaper and to several cars parked outside the building.

Less than two weeks ago, four armed men fired shots and threw a suspected explosive device outside the central offices of TV Alter in Athens.

SEEMO notes with concern this trend of attacks against journalists in Greece. It calls on the authorities to demonstrate their commitment to the protection of journalists, and press freedom in general, by taking all steps possible to counter these disturbing developments.

The media functions as an important pillar of democracy in society by providing information in the interest of the public, said Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, SEEMO calls for the maintenance of a safe working environment for journalists and media outlets in Greece. Any attacks against journalists must be fully investigated and carry consequences.

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.