23/09/2004: BULGARIA – COURT DECISION INVOLVING THE SOFIA-BASED DAILY NEWSPAPER TRUD

Vienna, 23/09/2004

To:

Simeon Saxecoburggotski

Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria

Fax: +359 2 981 8070

Anton Stankov

Minister of Justice

Fax: +359 2 987 4058

Sofia, Bulgaria

Your Excellencies,

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 a recent court decision involving the Sofia-based daily newspaper Trud.

According to information before SEEMO, the journalist Svetlana Yordanova, editor-in-chief Tosho Toshev and publishing house “Media Holding” were fined 5,000 BGN (approximately 2,500 Euro) following a decision by the Sofia Court of Appeal (SCoA) on 27 July. The decision, which was only published on 7 September, stemmed from two articles from the year 1996 about a court case against the former Ministry of Interior official, Nikolai Todorov. In 1999, Todorov submitted an appeal to the Court asking for damages from Yordanova, Toshev and the publisher.

SEEMO would like to recall that the Sofia City Court (SCC) and the Sofia Court of Appeal (SCoA) rejected Todorov’s appeal during the court proceedings (2000-2001), stating that the Trud articles were based on “meticulous investigative journalism.” However, the Supreme Court of Cassation returned the case to the SCoA, which then found the newspaper and the journalists guilty of publishing “non-confirmed information.”

SEEMO regards the court’s decision as a clear threat to freedom of expression in Bulgaria, and asks Your Excellencies to do everything in your power to ensure that the decision is reversed. SEEMO would also like to remind Your Excellencies that freedom of expression and a safe working environment for journalists are basic principles of any democratic society.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

SEEMO Secretary General

Vienna, 15/09/2004

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 recent developments in the Romanian media.

According to information provided to SEEMO, several media owners have been interfering in the editorial policy of Romanian media outlets.

In SEEMO’s opinion such practices are endangering editorial independence and putting journalists under pressure. Media owners should agree with editors and journalists on media policy and managerial matters in internal agreements and media statutes.

SEEMO acknowledges the owner’s right to define the editorial principles of media, but sees a need for internal guidelines, as it is important for journalists to do their job freely and without day-to-day interference or interpretations. Independent media are crucial for democratic development in any country.

Vienna, 09/09/2004

To:

Adrian Nastase

Prime Minister of Romania

Nicolae Vacaroiu
President of the Romanian Senate
Bucharest, Romania

Your Excellencies,

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), expresses its deep concern over the attack on two journalists from Ziua newspaper.

According to information before SEEMO, on 3 September, reporter Petre Niteanu and photographer Laura Dobre from the Bucharest-based daily Ziua were attacked by bodyguards and employees of the companies, VGB and BRONEC. The incident happened while they were trying to take pictures of VGB headquarters in Stelutei Street in Bucharest.

SEEMO is further informed that the journalists, who presented their ID cards, were on public property when they were approached and threatened by the bodyguards. The journalists immediately called the police, who, after arriving on the scene, did nothing to protect them. After the photographer was physically and verbally attacked, the police advised the journalists to leave the scene.

SEEMO strongly condemns the attack on the two journalists and urges the Romanian authorities to give their closest attention to the investigation of this case and to find the responsible persons. We would remind Your Excellencies that a safe working environment for journalists is a fundamental principle of any democratic society and we hope that the Romanian officials will solve this case in a timely manner.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

SEEMO Secretary General

Vienna, 11/06/2004

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 a recent media development in Greece.

According to information before SEEMO, on Friday, 4 June 2004, police entered the premises of the private radio station Makedonikos Ichos (“Macedonian Sound”) in Naoussa, seizing transmitting equipment and arresting the owner, Aris Vottaris. The official explanation for the action was that the radio station did not have a licence for local or regional transmissions.

Vottaris was released after a few hours, but charged with illegal transmissions and a lack of the appropriate documents. His radio station broadcasts in the Macedonian (Slavo-Macedonian) language and frequently transmits traditional songs in Macedonian (Slavo-Macedonian).

SEEMO is concerned that the authorities singled out this particular radio station, despite the fact that other radio stations in the districts of Imathia and Pella in northern Greece operate under similar conditions.

SEEMO urges the Greek authorities to speed up the process of issuing broadcasting licences, especially for alternative radio stations such as Makedonikos Ichos, which work on a regional or local level, and to guarantee everyone’s right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers,” as indicated by Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We would further like to stress that it is crucial for journalists to exercise their profession freely and that the independent media are fundamental to the democratic development of any country.

SEEMO is a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI).

Vienna, 12/05/2004

To:

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle

Hieromonk Irinej Dobrijevic

Consultant to the Holy Synod of Bishops on International and Interchurch Affairs and Editor-in-Charge of the Information Service Serbian Orthodox Church

Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro

Your Holiness,

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), strongly condemns the treatment of a journalist working for the Belgrade daily, Danas.

According to information before SEEMO, on 7 May 2004, Jelena Tasic, a reporter for Danas wished to cover the celebrations of “200 Years of the Modern Serbian State”, organised by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Tasic asked for accreditation and after calling the Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church, was informed that the accreditation was ready. But when she arrived at the press conference and took a seat in the conference room, a person from the security approached her and requested her to leave the premises because she did not have the accreditation. He did not check whether she had the document, but just told her that she had to leave because those were the orders he got from the Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

SEEMO was informed that Danas issued a public statement about this case, that was published in several media in Serbia on 8 May, but did not receive any reaction from the Church.

SEEMO condemns the treatment of Jelena Tasic and Danas. We remind you that all media should be treated equally and that the Church, with its important public role, needs to be open to all media.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

SEEMO Secretary General

Vienna, 04/08/2004

To:

Vladimir Voronin

President of the Republic of Moldova

Chisinau, Moldova

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), wishes to express its concern over recent developments at Teleradio Moldova (TRM).

According to information before SEEMO, on 27 July 2004, a group of employees at TRM launched a protest following growing discontent with the Selection Committee’s procedure for selecting staff at the broadcaster. On the evening of the same day, the evening broadcasts of the 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. news were banned by the State Company’s administration. In reaction to the protest, 19 TRM employees were also suspended from their duties. Moreover, police force was used in order to put down the peaceful protests.

SEEMO shares the concerns of Moldovan journalists that these actions were just a further step in the government’s attempt to seize control of the mass media in Moldova, after temporarily suspending the activity of several independent media outlets in Chisinau and re-establishing the state newspapers in the regions.

SEEMO condemns the recent measures taken against the TRM employees and the use of police force. We urge the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to do everything in their power to ensure transparent and non-discriminatory staff selection procedures at the broadcaster, and to fully respect the provisions of the 2002 Law on the National Public Broadcaster, which would ensure the transformation of TRM into a true public service broadcaster.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

SEEMO Secretary General

Vienna, 19/02/2004

To:

Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha

Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria

Georgi Petrov Petkanov

Minister of Interior Affairs

Sofia, Bulgaria

Your Excellencies,

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 over the threats against the Sofia-based Roma weekly, Defacto, and the Roma news agency, Roma Information Agency (RIA).

According to information before SEEMO, on 17 February, the offices of Defacto and RIA received four telephone calls between 12 noon and 1 p.m., in which an unknown male voice threatened the staff. It is believed that the threats were connected with the reporting of Defacto.

SEEMO is informed that Defacto and RIA decided to temporarily stop their work, until this case is solved by the police. For this reason, we urge Your Excellencies to do everything in your power to protect the staff of both media outlets. Furthermore, we ask you to resolve this case and to bring to justice the person or persons behind these threats. We remind you that the duty of every state is to enable journalists to work freely.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

SEEMO Secretary General

Vienna, 11/02/2004

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 recent media developments in Moldova. “What happened in the past weeks is alarming and I hope that the officials in Moldova will respect in future the important position of independent and critical media,” said Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General.

According to information before SEEMO, on 3 February 2004, the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (CCA) decided to suspend broadcasting of two critical media, the municipal radio station Radio Antena C and the TV station Euro TV Chisinau.

Also, SEEMO is informed that on 25 January 2004, at a meeting of an opposition party in Chisinau, officials restricted journalistic activities. Valeriu Saharneanu, President of the Moldovan Journalists Union, who gave a speech at the 25 January meeting on the necessity to defend media independence and freedoms, was summoned by the police and charged with disturbing the public order. A date for his trial was immediately established. SEEMO has already reacted to an incident that happened on the same day, when Valeriu Timus, cameraman of the independent station PRO TV, was forced by unknown persons to stop filming the meeting, without any reaction by policemen who were present.

Finally, on 9 February the bank account of the critical Moldovan weekly Timpul was blocked by a court order. This is the result of a decision of a company to sue the weekly for defamation. The trial against the paper should start in some days.

SEEMO expresses its deep concern about all these cases and urges the officials of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council to cancel the decision of the suspensions. SEEMO would also like to remind Your Excellency that freedom of expression is of vital importance for democratic development in any country.

Vienna, 30/01/2004

To:

Ivo Sanader

Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia

Marjan Mlinaric

Minister of Interior Affairs

Zagreb, Croatia

Your Excellencies,

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 alarmed by threats received by Sasa Jadrijevic Tomas, a journalist for the Croatian daily newspaper, Slobodna Dalmacija, since Friday, 23 January 2004.

According to information before SEEMO, on 23 January, Sasa Jadrijevic Tomas received threats from an unknown person one day before Slobodna Dalmacija planned to publish an article about Stipe Cacija, Assistant to the Croatian Minister of Interior Affairs, entitled “Cacija has not paid alimony to his son for 18 years”. Although under pressure, Slobodna Dalmacija published the article on Saturday, 24 January.

SEEMO is also informed that on Thursday, 29 January, an unknown person called the office of the newspaper saying he had information that Jadrijevic Tomas would be killed. After this latest telephone call, the journalist received police protection.

In SEEMO’s opinion, the threat against Jadrijevic Tomas constitutes a serious attack on freedom of expression in Croatia and hinders journalists from freely exercising their profession. Therefore, SEEMO urges Your Excellency to do everything in your power to protect Jadrijevic Tomas and to bring to justice the person or persons behind these threats.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

SEEMO Secretary General

Vienna, 15/01/2004

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 verbal threats directed against editors and journalists working at Hrvatska riječ, a magazine for the Croatian minority, which is published in Subotica, Serbia.

On 13 January 2004, Hrvatske rijeci received three threatening telephone calls. According to SEEMO’s sources, the threats were clearly anti-Croatian in content. In the first call, the voice said that if the magazine continued to publish, he would kill the staff. In the second call, the same voice said, “You are all dead.” In the third call, he used swearwords. On 14 January, the magazine received two further anonymous threatening phone calls.

As SEEMO has been informed, these threats against Hrvatske rijeci are part of a campaign of intimidation carried out against the Croatian minority in Vojvodina, Serbia, over the past two weeks. Until now, no one has been arrested by police. SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic expressed alarm “that all of these cases happened in a multi-ethnic region, such as Vojvodina, and after the December elections in Serbia.”

SEEMO calls upon the authorities in Serbia, as well as the local authorities in Vojvodina, to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation and to bring to justice those responsible. We further urge the authorities to do everything possible to ensure that journalists and other media workers in Serbia are able to safely carry out their profession.