Vienna, 16 September 2002
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) has expressed a concern about the sentencing of the Belarusian journalist, Viktor Ivashkevich, for allegedly insulting the country’s president.
Ivashkevich, the Editor-in-chief of the Belarusian independent newspaper, Rabochy, was sentenced today to two years of “restricted freedom”. He has been accused of insulting the Belarusian president during last year’s presidential election campaign.
Vienna, 2 September 2002
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns a violent attack on journalist Sergei Duvanov, who was severely beaten by masked assailants near his home on 28 August 2002. Duvanov was hospitalized with serious wounds and injuries.
Duvanov is editor in chief of the news bulletin Human rights in Kazakhstan and in the world, published by the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law (KIBHRL)
Vienna, 14/08/2002
To:
Adrian Nastase
Prime Minister of Romania
Bucharest, Romania
Your Excellency,
According to the information before SEEMO, Iosif Bebe Costinas, an investigative reporter for the daily “Timisoara”, has been missing since 7 June. On 22 June, the authorities were informed about the disappearance of Costinas. The police launched an extensive search, but their efforts have so far been unsuccessful.
Costinas has published articles on sensitive subjects, including unsolved killings during the December 1989 anti-communist revolt in Romania and the continued presence in high positions of officers of the former “Securitate” secret police. Furthermore, Costinas was writing a book about illegal business activities in Timisoara.
SEEMO and IPI are also concerned about the intimidation of a journalist who wrote critical reports about members of the ruling Social Democratic Party in Romania. Silvia Vrinceanu Nichita, correspondent for the opposition daily newspaper “Evenimentul zilei”, became a target of intimidation after she published articles alleging possible corruption among members of the Social Democratic Party’s local leaders in the town of Focsani (see IFEX alert of 12 August 2002). In an apparent attempt to smear her reputation, the private television station, OTV, broadcast an almost eight-year old video recording showing Vrinceanu, scantily dressed, as she was dancing and singing during a private New Year’s party.
Yours sincerely,
Oliver Vujovic
SEEMO Secretary General
Vienna, 23 July 2002
The Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns several threats in the past weeks against journalist and attacks on media in Romania.
In Vrancea County in eastern Romania, local authorities have illegally destroyed over 20 newspaper kiosks belonging to the Ziarul de Vrancea daily, which is critical reporting about activities of local politicians in power.
In one case a local politician, who is also local head of the governing Social Democratic Party (PSD), threatened during a press conference journalists responsible for articles alleging local corruption. The politician banned journalist Alin Ion, a correspondent for the Bucharest daily Evenimentul Zilei to attend a press conference and during this press conference the politician said about the journalist, who was limping at the time, “He’d better not make me cripple his other leg.” The politician has been targeted by journalists in recent years for his alleged involvement in criminal activities. Among other things, it has been reported he has illegally redirected European Union funds to support his private businesses.
In the second case also a journalist working for Evenimentul Zilei has been threatened. Local journalist Dan Ielciu has received a number of death threats by telephone.
Vienna, 23 July 2002
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is worried after receiving reports from Czech Republic that there are plans by one high level politician to murder Czech investigative reporter Sabina Slonkova.
SEEMO is asking for a fast and transparent investigation of this case.
Vienna, 25 June 2002
The Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the criminal court sentences in Belarus against two journalists who were convicted on 24 June to two and two and a half years of “restricted freedom.”
According to officials, Pavel Mozheiko and Nikolai Markevich, both reporters for the independent newspaper Pagonya in Grodno, have allegedly insulted President Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko during the 2001 presidential campaign. The journalists were convicted in connection with an article, calling on voters not to support Lukashenka. 11,000 copies of the newspaper were confiscated in the printing house before they could be distributed.
Vienna, 28 May 2002.
A local court ruled on Monday 27 May, that the weekly Delovoe-Obozrenie-Respublika should stop its operations and close down. This weekly is one of the last critical media in the country.
According to the court, the weekly had failed to obey an earlier verdict from April, ordering the weekly to close down for two months for failing to number its editions properly.
Only one week ago unidentified persons threw Molotov cocktails through the office windows of the weekly Delovoe-Obozrenie-Respublika. It was not the first attack against this weekly.
The Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation condemns the pressure and several attacks against this weekly.
Vienna, 12 May 2002.
The Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns one statement published on 10 May by the Romanian Defense Ministry. This statement reminds journalists that life is short, and the health too valuable, to endanger it by launching “stressful debates.”
The reaction from the Defense Ministry came after several media in Romania translated in Romanian an article on NATO-Romanian relations. The article, published on 30 April 2002 in US daily The Wall Street Journal, suggested that NATO may be reluctant to share classified information with Romanian intelligence officials, as some of whom are former members of the Securitate, the Communist-era secret police.
Vienna, 19 March 2002
To:
Vladimir Voronin
President of theRepublic of Moldova
Office of the President
Bd Stefan cel Mare 154
Chisinau
Republic of Moldova
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, and its affiliate, the South East European Media Organisation (SEEMO), are concerned by the recent intimidation of the Committee for Press Solidarity, comprised of up to 500 protesting Moldavian journalists and media workers of the state-owned company TeleRadio-Moldova.
Since late February, employees of TeleRadio-Moldova have protested media censorship and demanded greater press freedom. The journalists, along with civil society organisations and opposition parties, claim that TeleRadio-Moldova supports the ruling Communist Party of Moldova (PCM). A claim founded on the belief that, since early January, the station has deliberately censored reports on anti-government protests held in the country’s capital, Chisinau.
Although the government has formed a special investigative commission to look into the affair, journalists are fearful that the commission, which is largely composed of individuals loyal to the government, will be biased. In addition, despite a meeting between Your Excellency and the Committee’s representatives to, in your own words, “improve the situation”, you have allegedly accused the journalists of being a “gang paid to organise protest actions by foreign forces”. IPI is therefore is concerned that the government lacks the desire to resolve the issue.
Aside from the governments failure to deal comprehensively with the demands of the journalists, there have been apparent attempts by the managers of TeleRadio-Moldova to silence journalists who have shown solidarity with the protestors. In mid-March, news anchors, editors and producers of the TV news department of the TeleRadio-Moldova were dismissed by the company’s management. Among these were Dinu Rusnac, anchor of the Russian-language newscast, who had aired the protest declarations of his colleagues, and Larisa Manole, who was dismissed under the pretext of having committed a “technical error”. IPI would respectfully ask that you reinstate all of the journalists forthwith.
IPI and SEEMO request that you do everything in your power to ensure that the media workers at TeleRadio-Moldova are allowed to report freely and that the government undertakes to do everything necessary to guarantee freedom of expression in Moldova. Furthermore, we would like to remind you that Moldova is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights and is bound by Article 10 which upholds the fundamental principle of freedom of expression.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
IPI Director
Oliver Vujovic
SEEMO Secretary General
Vienna, 7 March 2002
The Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is concerned about developments in Kazakhstan.
According to information before SEEMO the weekly Nachnem s Ponedelnika was handed a three-month suspension yesterday (6 March) for failing to number its editions properly
Only two days earlier, on 4 March, the officials issued a six-month suspension to TAN-TV. Its license was suspended for a number of procedural violations. TAN-TV employees say their shutdown is primarily politically motivated, as TAN-TV receives financial support from an oppositional politician.