Vienna, 10 July 2001
The Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is alarmed about the death of Igor Aleksandrov.
On 3 July 2001, unidentified attackers with baseball bats beat the director of the local independent TV Tor Aleksandrov, as he entered the TV offices. Aleksandrov came to the hospital and died from head injuries on 7 July.
SEEMO is aksing for a fast and transperent investigation by the officials in Ukraine.
Vienna, 30 June 2001
The South East Europe Media Organisation protests strongly against the violent behaviour of members of several right extreme groups and holigans who have assaulted citizens and journalists in Belgrade streets during the first Yugoslav Gay parade. Mileva Vukic, a contributor to B92’s Ritam Srca program, and Brankica Stankovic, B92 journalist, where attacked. The equipment that Brankica Stankovic had with her the hooligans attempted to seize.
Vienna, 25 June 2001
On 19 June 2001 the offices and newsroom of the independent Minsk newspaper Nasha Svoboda were raided by the financial police. According to the state officials certain leaflets from 1999 were printed at a publishing house that belonged to the editor-in-chief of Nasha Svoboda. Simmilar activity was against Borisovskie Novosti on 16 March 2001.
Additional on 20 June 2001 the home of Den and Belarusky Chas journalist and human rights activist Sergei Anisko was raided. He is being investigated by the authorities regarding his publications in the newspapers Den’ and Belaruski Chas.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the attacks against journalists and media in Belarus.
Vienna, 13 June 2001
Belarus journalist and Soviet Deputy, Valeriy Shukin was sent yesterday to jail for 3 months. He was sentenced on 15 March for a failed attempt to get into a press conference held by the Belarus government and Ministry of Interior. He was obstructed by the police for not having the right document to attend. After exhausting the appeal process he had to report to prison to start serving his sentence.
Vienna, 13/06/2001
Boris Trajkovski
President
Office of the President
Skopje
Macedonia
Your Excellency,
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the Vienna-based International Press Institute, is deeply concerned about the security of journalists in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
SEEMO condemns the harassment of Veton Latifi, regular contributor to the Institute for War and Peace Reporting – Balkan Crisis Report, by the police in FYROM. Latifi, who also works for the Albanian-language programme of the Macedonian public television, was arrested at a police checkpoint on the road to Kumanovo on 9 June 2001. Police pointed guns at him, and he was threatened verbally. After about two hours, Latifi was released without explanation. Some of his computer disks were retained by the police.
This was the second time that Latifi has had trouble with the Macedonian authorities since the crisis erupted in the country. A month ago, police in Kumanovo arrested his father and detained him for one night without charges. In addition, SEEMO is informed about other disturbing incidents that journalists have experienced with the Macedonian authorities during past months. Most recently, Agence-France-Presse (AFP) correspondent Colin Neacsu and his interpreter, Lumni Murseli, were arrested on 8 June and beaten for several hours at a Skopje police station.
SEEMO urges Your Excellency to ensure that such actions do not reoccur and that all journalists working in Macedonia are allowed to carry out their profession without fear of harassment.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Oliver Vujovic
Secretary General
Vienna, 11 June 2001
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the assassination of Milan Pantic, a journalist of the daily newspaper Vecernje Novosti, today on 11 June 2001 in the morning in Jagodina (former Svetozarevo), a small town in central Serbia. Pantic, born on 18 December 1954, was killed by an unknown person when he was entering his apartment building. Pantic was reporting particularly on local crimes and trials. He received according to information before SEEMO several telephone threats.
Vienna, 24 May 2001
The South East Europe Media Organistion (SEEMO) from Vienna is alarmed about today attack against the independent daily newspaper Avrupa in the northern part of Cyprus (not international recognised TRNC). As a result of a bomb explosion, the newspaper’s offices were badly damaged.
Vienna, 6 May 2001
The Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is alarmed connected to a restriction of press freedom in Hungary.
According to information before SEEMO, Magyar Hirlap journalists were unable to cover a FIDESZ congress in the southern Hungarian city of Szeged on 5 and 6 May.
Vienna, 5 April 2001
Idrak Abbasov, a journalist from Impuls newspaper, was beaten by police and taken to Baku’s Police Department on 3 April 2001. Abbasov reported about a police activity in Baku.
The Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns this attack.
Vienna, 30 March 2001
Kerem Lawton, Associated Press Television News (APTN) producer and journalist was killed yesterday on 29 March 2001 in Kosovo when when a mortar shell hit his car in Krivenik, close to the Kosovo-FYROM border. All happened 1,1 km inside Kosovo. At least two other persons were killed and 10 wounded in the assault. Lawton came to report about the conflict between official troops of FYROM – Republic of Macedonia and ethnic Albanian rebels. Both the army of FYROM – Republic of Macedonia and the rebels denied that they were responsible for the attack and killing of the journalist.
Sylejman `Suki Kllokoqi, an APTN cameraman who was with Lawton, left the car to photograph refugees, so he was uninjured.
The Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the killing and is asking for an open and transparent investigation of the case.