30/01/2002 – RUSSIA: TV 6

Vienna, 30 January 2002

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is worried about the developments connected to the critical TV channel TV6 (ТВ-6) in Russia. TV6 was one of Russia’s first commercial television stations and it began broadcasting on 1 January 1993. The station was closed on 22 January 2002. The electricity was shut off in the middle of the “Nightingale’s Night” show while a guest was singing.

Vienna, 31 December 2001.

According to information before the Vienna South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), at the end of December 2001 two journalists were sentenced in Russia to prison terms.

Olga Kitova , 47-year-old investigative journalist from Belgorod , a reporter for Belgorodskaya Pravda, who reported about local corruption, was detained on 21 March 2001, and arrested in May 2001, but released on the orders of the District Court. That decision was reversed on 27 June as a result of a successful appeal to Belgorod Regional Court by the prosecutor. In March the police beat her unconscious. In December 2001 a local court sentenced Kitova to a suspended sentence of two and a half years for libel and using force against state authorities.

After several re-trials a court ultimately acquitted Grigory Mikhailovich Pasko on all counts except espionage, sentencing him on 25 December 2001 to four years of imprisonment for treason, for providing a Japanese television company with footage of the Russian navy dumping nuclear waste into the Pacific Ocean, He was arrested in the case during 1997. Pasko formerly was a military journalist for the newspaper, Boyevaya Vakhta. Pasko was convicted of treason by a military court in Vladivostok.

The South East Europe Media Organisation is alarmed about both court cases and urges the authorities to respect the work of journalists and freedom of media in Russia.

Vienna, 26 December 2001

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) protests strongly against yesterday attack on Radio Belgrade 202 journalist and anchor Vojin Vojinovic.

Vojinovic was attacked in fron of his house in Belgrade by two unknown assailants in the evening on 25 December 2001. As result of this attack Vojnovic had serious injuries.

Vojin Vojinovic is a journalist on an entertainment program and is not a member of any political party. In a press release today, Radio Belgrade 202 said that the editorial staff had received a telegram containing a warning prior to the attack on Vojinovic.

Vienna, 12 December 2001

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the jailing for three months of Vladislav Asanin, the former editor-in-chief of Podgorica daily Dan.

Asanin was jailed after being convicted on private libel charges brought by the President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic.

SEEMO is calling the Government and Parliament of Montenegro to amend the criminal legislation in order to prevent the criminal code from being used as an instrument to repress journalists and media.

Vienna, 30 November 2001

Ildar Zhandaryov host of the TV show “Bez Protokola” (Without Protocol), and of the movie TV review program “Interesnoye Kino” (Interesting Movie), both broadcasted on TV-6, was beaten and robbed by three unknown persons in the early morning hours today on 30 November when he entered his apartment building in Moscow. He was taken to a hospital.

TV-6 is an independent Russian television station with a national reach. TV 6 began broadcasting on 1 January 1993.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is asking for a fast and transperent investigation of this attack.

Vienna, 21/11/2001

To: Zoran Djindjic
Prime Minister
Republic of Serbia
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Fax: + 381 11 3617 – 609

CC:

Dragisa Pesic
Prime Minister, FR Yugoslavia

Slobodan Orlic
Federal Secretary of Information, FR Yugoslavia

Dragan Domazet
Minister of Science and Technology, Serbia, FRY

Ljubisa Papic
Vice-Minister of Science and Technology, Serbia, FRY

Your Excellency,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South Eastern Europe, and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is deeply concerned about the case of the independent economic magazine, Ekonomist magazin.

According to the information before SEEMO, on 17 January 2000, Ekonomist was declared a “publication of special interest for science” and therefore exempt from general circulation tax, in accordance with Serbian law. However, a decision signed on 12 September 2001 by the Vice Minister for Science and Technology, Professor Dr. Ljubisa Papic, has led to Ekonomist magazin losing this status. As a result, the magazine now has to pay the general circulation tax.

In SEEMO’s opinion, this change in the status of Ekonomist magazin is unusual, because the concept of the magazine has not changed since January 2000. In addition, we find it strange that an independent publication, which has always been critical of economic developments and policy in Serbia, enjoyed a better position during the Milosevic regime than it does today.

SEEMO urges Your Excellency to find a legal way to help professional and independent media that play an important role in scientific development in Serbia. For this specific group of media, every new financial load is an extra burden. We are sure that you also understand that the existence of the scientific media is very important for the economic development and democratisation of Serbia.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic
Secretary General

Vienna, 14/11/2001

Ilir Meta
Prime Minister
Tirana
Albania

CC:
Ilir Gjoni
Minister of Public Order, Albania

Your Excellency,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South Eastern Europe, and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), strongly condemns the violent attack on Nikolle Lesi, publisher of the independent Albanian newspaper, Koha Jone.

According to SEEMO’s sources, on 8 November, Lesi was assaulted in Tirana by an unidentified assailant, who physically assaulted the publisher and threatened him with a gun. We understand that the attack was related to articles published in Koha Jone.

SEEMO urges Your Excellency to do everything in your power to bring to justice those responsible for this incident. We also respectfully remind you that it is the duty of the state to provide an environment in which media professionals are able to carry out their duties without fear of attack. We ask you to ensure the safety of all journalists working in Albania.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

Secretary General

Vienna, 12/11/2001

To: Zoran Djindjic
Prime Minister
Republic of Serbia
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Fax: + 381 11 3617 730

CC:

Zoran Zivkovic
Minister of Internal Affairs, FR Yugoslavia. Fax: +381 11 636 314

Dusan Mihajlovic
Minister of Internal Affairs, Republic of Serbia (+ 381 11 – 361 76 98)

Your Excellency,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South Eastern Europe, is deeply concerned about a recent violation of press freedom in Serbia.

According to the information before SEEMO, on 10 November 2001, Serbian plainclothes policemen confiscated a tape belonging to a TV B92 television crew that contained exclusive footage of a protest staged by the Serbian police Special Operations Unit, known as the Red Berets. During the protest, about 30 members of the elite police unit, dressed in full combat gear, had erected a blockade on the Belgrade-Subotica highway, near Vrbas, between 2.00 and 3.00 p.m. on 10 November.

In SEEMO’s opinion, the confiscation of tape is evidence that the Serbian police is intent on continuing its old practice of preventing journalists from exercising their profession.

SEEMO urges Your Excellency to ensure that the tape is returned immediately and that a thorough investigation into the incident is launched. We further urge you to do everything in your power to end the harassment of Serbia’s journalists.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic
Secretary General

Vienna, 31/10/2001

To:

Stipe Mesic
President of Croatia
Zagreb
Fax: + 385 1 45 65 159

Milo Djukanovic
President of Montenegro
Podgorica
FRY
Fax: + 381 81 245 849

CC:

Sime Lucin
Minister of Internal Affairs, Croatia. Fax: +385 1 6122 771

Andrija Jovicevic
Minister of Internal Affairs, Montenegro. Fax: +381 81 246 779

Vesna Perovic
President of the Parlament, Montenegro. Fax: + 381 81 242 641

Zoran Zivkovic
Minister of Internal Affairs, FR Yugoslavia. Fax: +381 11 636 314

Your Excellencies,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South Eastern Europe, and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is deeply concerned for the safety of Ivo Pukanic, director of theleading Croatian news magazine, Nacional.

According to different information before SEEMO, several groups are preparing Pukanic’s assassination. The threat is the result of several investigative reports published in Nacional about the connection between Montenegrin officials and cigarette smugglers in the Balkans. SEEMO has also been informed that there was an attempt to bribe Nacional into halting the investigation of the so-called “Balkan tobacco mafia”.

In addition, according to SEEMO’s sources, Vladislav Asanin, the former editor-in-chief of the Montenegrin daily, Dan, is being charged with libel by the Montenegrin president after his newspaper reprinted articles first published in Nacional about the cigarette smugglers.

Asanin’s trial is due to take place on 2 November 2001 in Podgorica. It is the second trial against Asanin since Dan started reprinting articles from Nacional. In the first trial, on 3 September 2001, Asanin was given a five-month suspended sentence for criminal defamation.SEEMO notes that, prior to May 2001, Dan had reprinted some 60 articles from various foreign media about the link between the Balkan tobacco mafia and Montenegrin officials and that there had been no reaction from the officials in Podgorica before Dan began reprinting articles from Nacional.

SEEMO therefore urges Your Excellencies to do everything in your powers to ensure the safety of Ivo Pukanic and all other journalists working in your countries. We further urge Your Excellency, the President of Montenegro, to authorise an immediate and thorough investigation into the alleged plans to assassinate Ivo Pukanic and to bring those responsible to justice. Finally, SEEMO urges the authorities in Montenegro to stop their harassment of journalists working for Dan and to recognise that journalists have an essential role to play in any democratic society.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic

Secretary General