10.11.2023 – SEEMO Strongly Condemns the Four-Year Prison Sentence for Belarusian Journalist Aliaksandr Mantsevich

The South East Europe Media Organisaton (SEEMO) vehemently condemns the sentencing of Aliaksandr Mantsevich (Аляксандр Барысавіч Манцэвіч), born on 5 August 1958, publisher, founder and editor-in-chief of the regional independent newspaper Regyonalnaya Gazeta (Рэгіянальнай газеты), to four years in prison. This verdict underscores the relentless suppression of independent journalism in Belarus and the authoritarian regime’s determination to silence critical voices.

Mantsevich’s imprisonment is an alarming indication of the escalating crackdown on local independent media in Belarus. The Belarusian authorities started first targeted national independent media and then moved to eliminate journalism at the local level.

Regionalnaya Gazeta was the first governmental critical local media from Maladzyechna (Molodechno- Маладзечна), town with 90000 inhabitants, in the Minsk Region, covering with regional news four districts of Minsk area and three districts of Grodno area. It was founded in 1995 as a print media, and after state pressure it had since 2021 only an online edition.

The charges against Mantsevich revolve around allegations of “discrediting Belarus and its authorities” through his newspaper from 1 January 2020, until his arrest on 15 March 2023. These accusations are part of a broader effort to stifle dissent and curb the freedom of the press.

SEEMO stands in solidarity with Aliaksandr Mantsevich and all journalists in Belarus who are enduring oppression, imprisonment, and exile due to their commitment to truth and free expression. We call on the Belarusian authorities to drop all charges against Mantsevich, release him immediately, and respect the fundamental principles of democracy and press freedom.

It is crucial for the international community to continue monitoring the situation in Belarus, support independent Belarusian media, and advocate for the release of detained journalists and the repeal of oppressive laws. Press freedom remains a cornerstone of democracy, and its violation should not be tolerated. The work of independent journalists is vital in holding those in power accountable and ensuring the public’s right to access truthful information.

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.

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In early November 2023, Greek daily Documento (https://www.documentonews.gr/) publisher, Kostas Vaxevanis (Κώστας Βαξεβάνης), born 1966, and journalist Vangelis Triantis (Βαγγέλης Τριάντης) were summoned as “suspects” in a criminal investigation related to their investigative reporting.

The investigation, initiated by the Prosecutor’s Office in Athens, Greece focuses on a potential breach of official secrecy stemming from Documento’s February 2023 publication. This publication revealed details from an audit report. The report scrutinized numerous contracts signed by state officials during the Covid 19 pandemic, uncovering a purported two-million-euro loss for the state. The actions of a government official were initially under scrutiny due to a lawsuit filed by opposition MPs.

The case was transferred to prosecutor, who then forwarded it to a criminal court for statements. Vaxevanis and Triantis are scheduled to testify on 9 November 2023, with the judge deciding whether to bring misdemeanor charges against them.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is monitoring this case.

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.

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#SEEMF2023: XVII South East Europe Media Forum (SEEMF)– 14-16 November 2023 in Tirana, Albania. Be part of the leading media event in this part of Europe with participants from more than 30 countries. Registration: info@seemf.org and info@seemo.org . SEEMF by South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Media Program SEE and the Central European Initiative (CEI) and with support of European Broadcasting Union (EBU), German News Service by Deutschen Welle (DW) and Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa), SECEPRO, II-IMC and IA. No online coverage.

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Recent arrests of journalists in Türkiye / Turkey, including Tolga Şardan, Cengiz Erdinç and Dinçer Gökçe, have drawn sharp criticism from international community. These detentions have raised concerns about the country’s ongoing crackdown on media freedom.

Tolga Şardan, a columnist for the independent news website T24 (https://t24.com.tr/), was detained on 1 November 2023 charges of spreading false information regarding a report. Tolga Şardan asked, “What is in the ‘judicial report’ submitted by MİT (SEEMO note: MIT – Turkish Intelligence Organization) to the Presidency?” After Şardan’s arrest, police searched his home, and a court in Ankara, Türkiye / Turkey ordered his detention pending trial. He was arrested according to the Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code.

Dinçer Gökçe, a reporter at the government critical channel Halk TV (https://halktv.com.tr/), was also detained on 1 November 2023 but later released under judicial control measures.

In another case, journalist Cengiz Erdinç who is contributing for Kısa Dalga (https://kisadalga.net/) was detained on 2 November 2023 for allegedly spreading false information. Also Erdinç was released on condition of judicial control.

These arrests signal an alarming trend in Türkiye / Turkey approach to press freedom. The country’s disinformation law, which introduced prison sentences for spreading false information about security, public order, and public health, has been widely criticized as a tool to stifle journalism and silence dissent.

On 8 November 2023 the country’s Constitutional Court is set to hear a case seeking to annul the disinformation law. The law proposed by President Tayyip Erdogan was adopted by Turkey’s parliament on 13 October 2022. According to the law journalists and social media users could be sent to jail for up to three years for spreading “disinformation”. According to the law social media platforms are responsible liable for the content posted by their users,

The law criminalize people for “publicly disseminating misleading information” . The changes add a clause to Article 217 under the section on “Offences against Public Peace”. The addition of the crime of “disseminate misleading information to the public” is with article 217/A to article 217 of the Turkish Penal Code – connected to Article 29. This is a change of the part of the Turkish Penal Code dated 26/9/2004 and numbered 5237, following article 217.

With no explanation what is ”untrue information”, the law is saying:

“Disseminate misleading information to the public. ARTICLE 217/A

(1) Any person who publicly disseminates untrue information concerning the internal and external security, public order and public health of the country with the sole intention of creating anxiety, fear or panic among the public, and in a manner likely to disturb public peace, shall be sentenced to imprisonment from one year to three years..

(2) If the offence is committed by concealing the true identity of the perpetrator or within the framework of an organisation’s activities, the punishment mentioned above is increased by one-half ”

The South East Europe Media Organisaton (SEEMO) stands in solidarity with Turkish journalists who continue to courageously follow the truth. SEEMO will monitor cases to the disinformation law closely. Press freedom is a fundamental pillar of democracy, and these arrests undermine that foundation. For SEEMO the disinformation law has chilling effect and increased self-censorship.

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.

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In October this year there were two cases of Russian journalist who were arrested as they were threatening the national security of EU countries.

Bulgaria has expelled Russian journalist Alexander Gatsak (Александр Гацак), a correspondent for the Russian-government’s Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Российская газета) (https://rg.ru/), for what authorities claim to be activities threatening national security including suspicion of espionage. The State Agency for National Security (DANS) announced on 1 November 2023 that Gatsak’s residency rights had been revoked in September.

Gatsak had been hiding in the Russian embassy in Sofia “for security reasons” for over a month, according to reports. He was summoned to receive the expulsion order but did not appear and sought refuge in the embassy. DANS, under the guise of a journalist, accused Gatsak of carrying out intelligence activities that posed a threat to national security.

On 20 September 2023, the chairman of DANS issued an order to revoke Gatsak’s residence status, his accreditation as a journalist, and to expel him from Bulgaria with a ban on entering the EU. Gatsak left Bulgaria on Wednesday 25 October 2023, and the Russian Foreign Ministry warned of retaliatory measures.

In one independent case Cyprus authorities arrested for “security reasons ” on 6 October 2023 Russian journalist Alexander Gennadievich Gasyuk (Александр Геннадьевич Гасюк), born in July 1981, who works also for of Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The journalist was deported.

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.

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On 1 November 2023 around 11 a.m. an attack took place against journalists from Niška Inicijativa (https://niskainicijativa.rs/) while they attempted to film the administrative building of the public nursery school Pčelica in Niš, Serbia. During this incident, the editor of the Niška Inicijativa portal, Srđan Nonić, and a cameraperson, A.P., were assaulted by an employee of Pčelica administration.

Allegedly the attack occurred when the administrative staff member noticed Srđan filming. She immediately approached and forcefully grabbed his phone while he was recording. She refused to return the phone and tried to walk away. In a quick turn of events, Srđan managed to retrieve his phone as it fell to the ground while she was attempting to get away. Video of the attack (https://www.facebook.com/100071908376741/videos/266825196353954/?ref=embed_video&t=0).

Throughout the incident, the staff member repeatedly shouted, physically assaulted Srđan and A.P., issued threats and insults. The incident occurred in a public area outside the building.

The police were contacted immediately, as were the designated police and prosecution contacts responsible for cases involving attacks on journalists. A.P. was visibly distressed, a fact confirmed by the Emergency Medical Service report. At the police station, all involved parties provided statements, and all recordings from the journalist’s phone were handed over to the “criminal techniques” department. In the past years there were several attacks on journalist working for Niška Inicijativa

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns this violent attack against the Niška Inicijativa journalists and expresses deep concern regarding the safety of journalists in Serbia. This incident highlights the need for greater protection of press freedom and safety in Serbia.

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.

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Selahattin Kaygusuz, responsible for the distribution of the pro-Kurdish Yeni Yaşam (https://yeniyasamgazetesi5.com/) daily newspaper was arrested in Batman/ Êlih , Türkiye / Turkey on 24 October 2023, on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization.” Kaygusuz had been detained during a house raid in Batman, Türkiye / Turkey on 20 October 2023, based on the testimony of a witness, who is a witness in multiple cases.

After being detained, Kaygusuz was brought to Diyarbakır / Amed , where the investigation originated. He provided his statement at the Provincial Police Department’s Counterterrorism Unit in Diyarbakır, Türkiye / Turkey, and later appeared in court, where the Peace Criminal Judgeship decided to remand him in custody.

This arrest highlights the ongoing challenges faced by journalists in Türkiye / Turkey, including state repression, accusations of supporting terrorism, and hindrances to their work. Those reporting from Kurdish regions are under special scrutiny, making Türkiye / Turkey one of the world’s largest prisons for media professionals.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is monitoring the case and expresses deep concern over the press freedom situation in Turkey.

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.

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