21.08.2023 – Andrei Skurko in Belarus Released After Over Two Years in Prison

Andrei Skurko (Андрэй Скурко), born 1978, head of advertising and marketing department at the independent media outlet Nasha Niva (Нашай Нівы / Наша Ніва), former editor-in-chief, as also editor in the Nasha Historyia magazine has finally been released from prison on 18 August 2023 after enduring two years, one months and 11 days arrested. Skurko’s release was confirmed on the website of Nasha Niva (https://nashaniva.com/ ), which operates exclusively online due to being blocked within Belarus.

Skurko’s arrest took place on 8 July 2021, leading to a subsequent 2.5-year prison sentence. He was charged in March 2022 by a Minsk court for Infliction of property damage without signs of theft according to Art. 216 of the Criminal Code of Belarus. He was put on trial for paying electricity bills for the media at residential tariffs, instead of the commercial rates assigned to legal entities. On the same day when he was arrested the website was blocked.

Allegedly the real motive behind the charges against Skurko, as well as the editor-in-chief Igor Martinovitsch (Егор Александрович Мартинович/ Yahor Martsinovich / Яго́р Алякса́ндравіч Марціно́віч) , born 1988, was to undermine the operations of Nasha Niva. The media outlet reported regularly about corruption and autocracy in Belarus. Nasha Niva has a long-standing history tracing back to 1906, as oldest newspaper in Belarus, and started again with publishing in 1991. In January 2022, the Belarusian KGB designated the editorial board of Nasha Niva and its website as “extremist organizations.”

Questions about press freedom and the need for an open and unbiased media environment in Belarus continue to linger, calling for international attention and advocacy.

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 Saturday 12 August 2023 in a press conference in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik accused several media outlets of orchestrating an environment of persecution against the entity and its political leadership. He alleged that these actions were fueled by financial support from Great Britain. Dodik singled out “media from Sarajevo”, as also from Republika Srpska BN TV, Buka (https://6yka.com/ ) and Capital (https://www.capital.ba/ ) portals, accusing them of working against the interests of Republika Srpska with foreign backing. Additional Dodik verbaly attacked N1 correspondent Mladen Vujinović.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) strongly condemns the recent threats and intimidation directed at journalists and media outlets in Republika Srpska. The accusations made by President Milorad Dodik, are deeply concerning.

SEEMO believes in the vital role of journalists and media in democracy is ensuring the free flow of information. Any attempts to silence, threaten, or intimidate journalists undermine these fundamental principles. The safety and freedom of journalists are paramount, and any attack on their well-being is an attack on press freedom itself.

SEEMO supports the joint statement by the four attacked media. According to this statement “Labelling these four media as “enemies of the Serb people” and “destroyers of the Republika Srpska”, Milorad Dodik gave a signal to tens of thousands of his voters, followers, members of his SNSD (note by SEEMO: Savez nezavisnih socijaldemokrata – Alliance of Independent Social Democrats) party, and coalition partners, but also to the institutions he controls to mistreat employees of N1, BNTV, Capital.ba and Buka.ba. in any way… The fabrications regarding millions paid to these media to work on destroying Republika Srpska is not even worth commenting on, because it represents a classic diversion of attention from the real problems in the country, which these four newsrooms, as before, will continue to report professionally, regardless of the constant attacks, insults, incitement and efforts to create an environment in which it is desirable to attack a journalist, which according to the latest poll, as much as 74 percent of the citizens of Republika Srpska consider acceptable.”

SEEMO calls President Dodik and other public figures to respect the role of media in society and refrain from actions that endanger the lives and professional integrity of journalists. SEEMO also calls the authorities in Republika Srpska including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, judiciary and public prosecutor to investigate 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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On Thursday 10 August 2023 the police have discovered and confiscated a pistol and ammunition from an individual who had threatened the editorial staff of the radio and portal Antena M (https://www.antenam.net/) via social media. Threats were made against Darko Šuković, editor-in-cheif of Antena M and Milena Aprcović, deputy editor -in– chief. The police statement indicated that “the prosecuting attorney, in relation to the threats made, has determined that there are no elements of a criminal offense for which prosecution should be initiated ex officio.”

The threat against Antena M was made in a comment on the Antena M Facebook page, where a user called for the liquidation of the editor and deputy editor of Antena M. In response to the threats, the Acting Chief State Prosecutor, ordered the police to submit a criminal complaint against the individual for two criminal offenses – endangering security and unlawful possession of weapons and explosive materials.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is worried over the threats made to the editors of Antena M through social media, condemns the threats and calls on relevant institutions to prosecute the perpetrator.

SEEMO calls also the authorities in Podgorica to investigate all unsolved cases of threats and attacks against journalists in Montenegro from the past and find the perpetrators. Threats and intimidation against media workers can have a chilling effect on press freedom and the ability to provide objective 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.

#fyp #mediafreedom #seemo #freespeech #southeasteuropemediaorganisation#ngo #journalist #journalistunderattack #montenegro #AntenaM#journalistattacked #journalistassault#SEEMO #pressfreedom #mediafreedom #freemedia @antena_m

Russian TV journalist Aleksandr Nevzorov (Александр Невзоров), who left Russia on 12 March 2022, has been fined 20,000 RUB (approximate 190 EUR) by a court in St. Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург) in Russia for expressing views deemed “extremist” in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Belarus Service and on his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@NevzorovTV/videos) regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Court imposed the fine under an administrative charge of extremism (20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

In the interview with Radio Liberty, Nevzorov criticized the Russian president and events in Crimea in 2014. Authorities also cited his program “(Маленькие невзоровские среды. Saint-Petersburg),” which they claimed contained derogatory content about the Russian army and Russia’s history.

Nevzorov, who was once a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin (Владимир Путин), has become a vocal critic of Russia’s actions in Ukraine and its leadership. In June 2022 he and his wife got Ukrainian citizenship

In February 2023, a Moscow court sentenced Nevzorov in absentia to eight years in prison for discrediting the Russian armed forces. He had accused the Russian military of targeting a maternity hospital in Mariupol and engaging in torture and civilian killings in Bucha.

The situation underscores the Russian authorities’ efforts to control dissenting narratives related to the conflict in Ukraine. Putin had enacted legislation imposing harsh penalties for spreading “false information” about Russia’s actions in the war, with potential punishments of up to 15 years in prison.

#fyp #mediafreedom #seemo #freespeech #southeasteuropemediaorganisation#ngo #journalist #journalistunderattack #russia #ukraine #AleksandrNevzorov #journalistattacked #journalistassault #journalistarrested#SEEMO #pressfreedom #mediafreedom #freemedia @NevzorovAG

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the Turkish authorities’ decision to imprison investigative journalist and book author Barış Pehlivan for the fifth time.

Pehlivan, born 1983, a former editor-in-chief of Odatv.com news site, who works today for the newspaper Cumhuriyet, received an SMS notification from the Ministry of Justice on 2 August 2023, instructing him to report to the Marmara Low Security Correctional Institution in Türkiye / Turkey between 1-15 August 2023. This order marks his fifth stint behind bars due to his journalistic work, with two of the previous incarcerations for one day occurring in February and May 2023 for his work.

Pehlivan’s troubles began on 6 March 2020 when he was arrested after he covered the funeral of a Turkish National Intelligence Organization (Millî İstihbarat Teşkilatı – MIT) officer. Subsequently, he faced charges alongside fellow journalists Aydin Keser, BarisTerkoglu, Eren Ekinci, Hulya Kilinc, Ferhat Celik, and Murat Agırel. He was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for allegedly exposing classified intelligence documents.

Following six months behind bars, Pehlivan was released on 9 September 2020 under the condition that he would not engage in further legal issues. Pehlivan, upon his release, emphasized that the case against him had no criminal basis and was intended to suppress his journalistic efforts.

According to the journalist, the officials informed him about violation of his freedom due to a new investigation into whether he committed “insult” with a column in Cumhuriyet.

Türkiye / Turkey’s status as one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists and its influence on the media landscape through legal actions, fines, and sentences.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) supported Pehlivan in a joint statement with other international press freedom organisations: https://seemo.org/ressources/08-08-2023-turkey-international-groups-condemn-fifth-imprisonment-order-against-journalist-baris-pehlivan-turkiye-uluslararasi-kuruluslar-gazeteci-baris-pehlivanin-besinci-defa-parmakliklar-ardi/

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.

#fyp #mediafreedom #seemo #freespeech #southeasteuropemediaorganisation#ngo #journalist #journalistunderattack #turkey #barispehlivan #journalistattacked#journalistassault #journalistarrested#SEEMO #pressfreedom #mediafreedom #freemedia @barispehlivan

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Natasha Tyshkevich (НаташаТышкевич), a former journalist of the Russian student magazine Doxa (Журнал DOXA), revealed that she was held at Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade, Serbia, for approximately 40 hours. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia has not responded to inquiries from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) to confirm the incident or provide reasons for her detention.

Tyshkevich arrived in Belgrade from Malta on 7 August 2023, using a “Tourist Passport” issued by Germany, where she currently resides. However, she was denied entry into Serbia. She explained that she had obtained this document from the German officials a year ago, as her Russian passport had been confiscated by the Russian police.

Natasha worked till 2021 for the Russian student magazine Doxa, (Журнал DOXA). In April 2021, the offices of the Doxa were raided by the police. Its four editors Natalia (Natasha) Tyshkevich, Armen Aramyan, Vladimir (Volodya) Metyolkin and Alla Gutnikova were charged after the posting a video expressing support for students threatened with expulsion for participating in anti-government protests in Russia. In April 2022 a District Court in Moscow sentenced all four editors to two years of correctional labor and banned them from administering in Russia any websites for three years. Doxa was founded in 2017 as journal of the Moscow campus of the Higher School of Economics.

The detention of Natasha Tyshkevich by Serbian authorities is regarded as a violation of human rights. During her 40-hour ordeal at the airport, she reported receiving little food. Friends attempted to deliver food through the airport’s information center, but the police refused to allow it.

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) calls for urgent clarification from Serbian authorities about this incident.

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.

#fyp #mediafreedom #seemo #freespeech #southeasteuropemediaorganisation #ngo #journalist #journalistunderattack #serbia #russia #natashatyshkevich #journalistattacked #journalistassault #journalistarrested #SEEMO #pressfreedom #mediafreedom #freemedia #doxa

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) calls for explanation from the Kosovo authorities regarding the repeated denial of entry to Serbian journalist Svetlana Vukmirović, who works for the national broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS). Vukmirović has been barred from entering Kosovo multiple times since 2018, the latest being on 1 May 2023.

Vukmirović, known for her coverage of the Serb minority community in Kosovo and those who left Kosovo during and after the 1998-99 war, questions the basis for her entry denial. She highlights that her Serbian ID card previously allowed her to enter Kosovo unhindered. The Kosovo authorities cited her as a potential threat to public order, internal security, public health, or international relations.

The incident has sparked concerns among international media and press freedom associations and organisations, with calls for respect of journalists rights and the freedom of movement.

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is asking the Government in Pristina to respect freedom of movement for journalists. SEEMO Is asking the Ministry of Internal Affair of Kosovo, the Border authorities of Kosovo and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to allow immediately Vukmirović to enter Kosovo.

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.

#fyp #mediafreedom #seemo #freespeech #southeasteuropemediaorganisation #ngo #journalist #journalistunderattack #serbia #kosovo #rts #svetlanavukmirovic #journalistattacked#SEEMO #pressfreedom #mediafreedom #freemedia

The Türkiye/Turkey division of the Russian news agency Sputnik – Rossiya Segodnya International News Agency – has terminated the contracts of 24 journalists who embarked on a strike to advocate for improved pay and rights after negotiations for a new collective labor agreement fell through. This move was condemned by the Journalists’ Union of Türkiye/Turkey (Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikas / TGS).

TGS accused Sputnik of disregarding union rights and the demands of the dismissed journalists, stating, “Stop committing crimes and get dismissed journalists back to work.”

Erkin Oncan, one of the fired journalists, expressed resolve on Twitter, vowing to continue their cause despite the dismissals. He labeled the decision as unlawful and affirmed, “No step back.”

Among the fired journalists is Atilla Guner, a senior journalist responsible for Radio Sputnik’s evening news program. While the reason cited for the dismissals was ‘downsizing’, Guner suggested that his support for the strike might be the underlying motive.

Despite Turkish law forbidding actions to discourage workers from joining unions or partaking in industrial actions, the rate of unionization among media personnel has decreased since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assumed power. However, recent times have witnessed more Turkish journalists resorting to strikes to enhance their working conditions amidst low wages and diminishing media freedoms.

On 8 August 2023 the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS) protested against Sputnik in front of the Sputnik office in Istanbul.

Sputnik is a Russian state-sponsored news agency and is used to promote Russian interests. In USA and West European countries Sputnik has a reputation as a Kremlin mouthpiece. In March 2022 the European Council decided to suspend the broadcasting activities of Sputnik’ and RT/Russia Today (RT English, RT UK, RT Germany, RT France, and RT Spanish) in the EU, or directed at the EU, until the aggression to Ukraine is put to an end, and until the Russian Federation and its associated outlets cease to conduct disinformation and information manipulation actions against the EU and its member states.

#fyp #mediafreedom #seemo #freespeech #southeasteuropemediaorganisation#ngo #journalist #journalistunderattack #turkey #sputnik #journalistattacked#SEEMO #pressfreedom #mediafreedom #freemedia