03/03/2011: MOLDOVA – SEEMO CONCERNED AT REPORTS MEDIA PREVENTED FROM REPORTING IN MOLDOVA

Vienna, 03/03/2011

The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South and East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is concerned about reports that the media has been prevented from reporting on public events in Chisinau, Moldova.

According to information received from the Independent Journalism Center (IJC), on 29 January 2011 the journalist Oleg Brega was prevented from entering the National Theatre in Chisinau where an event was being held on the occasion of the Prosecutors’ National Day. On the same day, a hotel hosting a meeting of the Democratic Party of Moldova prevented all media from entering.

On 31 January 2011, news crews from the newspapers Adevarul Moldova, Jurnalul TV and StireaZilei.md were prevented from attending a briefing by the Prime Vice-President of Parliament on the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture and Industry.

SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said: “When journalists are prevented from exercising their function without any clear explanation, an unhealthy atmosphere of governmental pressure is created. This could and should have been avoided.”

Vujovic continued: “SEEMO urges the Moldovan authorities to allow journalists to work freely and condemns any restriction on the work and free movement of journalists.”

Vienna, 04/03/2011

The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), deplores the overreaction of Christopher Dell, US Ambassador in Pristina, to the publication of photos with text messages apparently showing his involvement in the election of Kosovo president Behgjet Pacolli. The photos showed text-messages exchanged between Pacolli and his advisor Esad Puskar, seated next to the US ambassador in a parliamentary session during which the vote for president occurred on 22 February 2011.

According to the photos, Ambassador Dell advised Esad Puskar on how to proceed in order to obtain the required votes for Pacolli. During the first two rounds, Pacolli did not obtain a majority. Had he not won during the third round, new parliamentary elections would have been necessary.

Three Kosovo media outlets – Express, Koha Ditore and Koha Vision TV – published the Smartphone screen with clearly readable incoming and outgoing messages.

Ambassador Dell called the media behaviour “inexcusable”. In an open letter addressed to the Independent Media Commission (IMC), published on 23 February 2011, he stated: “The behaviour may also have been illegal, as Kosovo’s Criminal Code forbids the unauthorized interception of personal conversations and statements.” Further, he wrote: “I trust that the IMC will exercise its responsibility in enforcing its Code of Conduct.”

Article 170 of the Criminal Code stipulates that anyone publishing wire-tapped conversations or messages not specifically addressed to them is liable to one year in prison. In this case, however, there was not tapping involved: journalists were seated on a balcony above the diplomats and took pictures.

In reference to the alleged violations of privacy, it should be underlined that the media published photos taken in a public place. Everyone knew, including the ambassador, that journalists were seated in the gallery overlooking the seats reserved for diplomats and other guests. Thus, phone text messages or anything written on paper could easily be photographed using modern photo equipment.

SEEMO would like to remind the ambassador that over the past several years there have been high-profile international cases in which journalists, using modern equipment, took pictures or recorded videos in public places, catching international politicians off guard. There were no official complaints: the persons involved knew that their public blunder was due to negligence. When in a public place, public figures must be aware that journalists and cameras could be around. In the recent Kosovo case, the people involved in the message exchange were not cautious enough, and journalists profited from the situation.

Ambassador Dell also underlined that some of the media involved in publishing the text messages had been recipients of US government aid. The statement did not specify if this aid could be revoked.

Due to the prominent US role in Kosovo, the declarations of US diplomats are widely discussed and debated, and have a strong influence on the local political scene. SEEMO is concerned that the US ambassador’s reference to a possible alleged criminal act could have negative effects on media freedom and increase political pressure on media outlets. SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said: “If the ambassador is unhappy with media reporting, he could have presented his point of view directly to media representatives.”

Vienna, 09/03/2011

Three global press organisations have agreed to assess the media landscape in Montenegro, a young democracy which hopes to join the European Union but whose candidacy has raised press freedom concerns.

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the International Press Institute (IPI) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) recently sent a joint delegation to the southeastern European republic to assess the threats to a free and independent press, and determine how to improve conditions in which a free press can thrive.

The delegation, which visited Montenegro from 2 to 4 March, met with publishers and editors of independent and state-owned newspapers, with government and non-governmental officials, and with representatives of the United States, German and European Union delegations to Montenegro.

“The European Union has rightly placed improving media freedom as a condition before it can begin negotiations with Montenegro for membership,” said Larry Kilman, Deputy CEO and Executive Director of Communications and
Public Affairs for WAN-IFRA, who led the delegation. “This position recognises that free press is a fundamental precondition for democratic development, and needs the full commitment of Montenegrin authorities.”

Montenegro, which became independent of Serbia in 2006, has been accused of using its criminal defamation laws and economic pressure to punish and inhibit critical reporting. There have been a number of violent attacks on the independent press as well, notably the 2004 murder of Dusko Jovanovic, publisher and editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Dan. The country has recently taken steps to repeal its criminal defamation laws.

The assessment from the global press organisations will be contained in a report to be issued by the end of March.

Vienna, 11/03/2011

Journalist Nedim Sener, one of the International Press Institute (IPI)’s World Press Freedom Heroes, has been ordered arrested by an Istanbul court as part of a controversial probe into an alleged plot to overthrow the government, IPI has learned from its Turkish National Committee.

Sener and journalist Ahmet Sik, who were detained along with other journalists following police raids on their homes and businesses Thursday, were questioned for hours by the lead prosecutor investigating the alleged Ergenekon plot before being sent to court early Sunday morning, where a judge granted a request for their arrest.

Prosecutors had demanded that the journalists face charges of “being a member of the Ergenekon organization” and “inciting hatred and animosity among the public”.

The court also ordered the arrest of five other journalists this morning in connection with the plot: Dogan Yurkardul, Coskun Musluk, Sait Cakir, Yalcin Kücük and Müyesser Yildiz.

IPI’s Turkish National Committee said prosecutors asked Sener and Sik wide-ranging questions about books they have written, their personal documents and phone calls the two had made. The prosecutor also asked Sener questions about statements he made during television programs in which he has participated.

The pair was taken to the Metris Prison in Istanbul, and Sener has since been transferred to the Silivri prison, where Sik is also expected to be taken. Journalists outside the Besiktas courthouse in central Istanbul staged an all-night protest against the detention starting Saturday when Sener and Sik were brought there for interrogation.

Protestors later blocked a road outside the courthouse with a sit-down strike upon learning of the arrests. That protest followed larger demonstrations on Friday in Ankara and Istanbul by thousands of protestors opposing the government’s detention of Sener, Sik and the other journalists detained in Thursday’s raids.

The Freedom for Journalists Platform, an umbrella group representing local and national media organizations in Turkey, including IPI’s Turkish National Committee, organized the demonstrations. The group rejected Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s calls for the media “to act responsibly” in their response to the recent raids, responding that Erdogan’s ruling party bore responsibility for creating a climate of pressure and fear in the country.

The group also said the arrests bring the number of journalists being held in connection with the Ergenekon plot to more than 60.

Turkish President Abdullah Gül said over the weekend in an interview with the newspaper Milliyet:

“I expect prosecutors and courts to be more diligent in pursuing their responsibilities and act in a way not to hurt the honor and rights of the people as well as institutions.”

Turkish authorities have accused hundreds of politicians, retired military officers, academics and journalists of participating in the alleged plot, which came to light in 2007. The government says plotters called for assassinations and attacks that would create chaos and lead to calls for the military to take power from the current government.

Sener is an author and investigative reporter for daily Milliyet. IPI named him a World Press Freedom Hero last year for his work following the release of his book linking security forces to the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

IPI Board Member Ferai Tinc, who is also chairperson of IPI’s Turkey National Committee, said:

“The prosecutors say that Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik have not been arrested because of their journalistic works. But both Sener and Sik have been questioned about the books they have written, about the people they have contacted and about their phone calls that have illegally been taped”.

“These questions are directly related with the work of a journalist.Therefore IPI’s Turkey National Committee considers this a direct violation of press freedom and part of a trend of intimidation targeting journalists, especially those who have critical views.”

This press release is supported by the South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate.

Vienna, 11/03/2011

The International Press Institute (IPI) renewed on 9 March 2011 its objections to Hungary’s new media law following the adoption of amendments intended to defuse criticism by the European Union.

The Hungarian Parliament voted Monday to narrow the law’s scope against foreign media reporting from Hungary, and to eliminate a requirement that on-demand services such as Internet sites and blogs provide balanced news coverage. The Parliament also threw out a requirement that news outlets register with authorities, and softened a ban on offensive content.

However, despite the changes, elements of the legislation that remain in place continue to loom large over press freedom.

Europe’s main rights and security watchdog, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said yesterday that the law still violates OSCE press freedom commitments.

“The legislation can still be misused to curb alternative and differing voices in Hungary despite modifications adopted following a request from the European Commission,” Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE representative on Freedom of the Media, commented.

“Several problems remain: The law vests unusually broad powers in the politically homogeneous Media Authority and Media Council, enabling them to control content of all media. The legislation regulates broadcast, print and online media content based on identical principles. It leaves key terms undefined. It requires all media to be registered with the Media Authority. It punishes violations with high fines. It fails to guarantee the political independence of public service media.”

IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills added: “While we welcome the fact that some changes have been made, a number of areas of concern remain, and unless they too are addressed, then the legislation still constitutes a potential threat to press freedom.”

This press release is supported by the South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate.

Vienna, 14/03/2011

The International Press Institute (IPI) and the South and East Europe Media Organisation today joined with its IPI Slovakian Committee in condemning Friday’s raid on the offices of Czech Television in Prague by military police.

Czech daily newspaper Právo reported that on 11 March 2011 masked military police carrying automatic weapons entered the station with a court order to secure a recently declassified document, and took away seven bags of documents and three computers.

IPI Vice Chairman and Slovakian Committee Board Member Pavol Múdry said Czech authorities had temporarily suspended the head of the military police following the raid, and had initiated an investigation into the raid.

He said military police had reportedly attempted to serve the court order earlier, but that Czech Television representatives declined to turn over the document or disclose their sources.

Commenting that IPI’s Slovakian Committee “wanted to support our Czech colleagues,” Múdry added: “Such conduct raises concerns about freedom of speech. One of the fundamental rights is the protection of journalists’ sources of information. Only [through such protection] can journalists control public power – including the armed forces. Slovakia IPI calls for an immediate examination procedure and for the punishment of persons responsible for this action, which borders on harassment of independent media.”

This press release is supported by the South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate.

Vienna, 18/03/2011

The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), has launched an online version of the South, East and Central Europe Media Handbook. The online database www.mediahandbook.org contains an array of updated information on Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.

The database includes the latest political and economic developments, an overview of the media landscape, media-related legislation and press freedom issues. The ERSTE Foundation is supporting the launching of the online edition of the South, East and Central Europe Media Handbook.

The print edition of the 2010 Handbook, encompassing both the information available online as well as an exhaustive list of media contacts, was published thanks to the support of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the Vienna-based ERSTE Foundation and the Trieste-based Central European Initiative (CEI).

The SEEMO Handbook is distributed free of charge to leading libraries, schools of journalism, universities, political groups, governments, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs and media.

An annual publication since 2003, the South, East and Central Europe Media Handbook has been the major source of regional information on media. Printed in 4,000 copies and with over 2,500 pages, the 2010 Handbook includes introductory articles by Michael Spindelegger, Austria’s Federal Minister for European and International Affairs; Gerhard Pfanzelter, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI); Boris Marte, member of the ERSTE Foundation board; and Erhard Busek, former Vice-Chancellor of Austria and Chairman of the European Forum Alpbach.

The SEEMO team is currently working on the 2011 Handbook edition, to be published in December 2011.

South, East and Central Europe Media Handbook
can be purchased by contacting smh@seemo.org.

Vienna, 25/03/2011

The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI) is alarmed by the attack on daily Lajm reporter Fatos Shala by a security guard working for a supermarket in Kosovo.

Shala reported that he was taking pictures at the supermarket on 21 March 2011 for an article, when he was suddenly grabbed by a security guard and dragged across the floor. “The experience was very discomforting, since everyone at the supermarket thought I was some kind of thief” stated Shala.

Afterwards, Shala was allegedly dragged into an office where he was threatened with an iron club and told that if he did not delete the pictures he would be beaten. Fortunately, Shala did not suffer any serious physical injury but his camera was broken.

“The guard should have warned Shala beforehand, and told him that it was prohibited to take pictures within the supermarket. His actions and aggressive behaviour are completely unjustified. The security guard had no authority whatsoever to take such measures and especially not to make threats against the reporter,” stated SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic upon learning about the case.

“The security guard could have voiced his complaint through a range of different non-physical ways, which would have been legitimate. If he thought that he could not solve the problem by himself, he could have called police officers, but he should not have made threats against the journalist,” added Vujovic.

SEEMO calls on the authorities in Pristina to investigate the case, and to do whatever they can to prevent such cases from occurring in the future.

Vienna, 28/03/2011

The International Press Institute (IPI) on Friday condemned raids by Turkish police last week in search of draft copies of an unpublished book by imprisoned journalist Ahmet Sik that reportedly focuses on the influence of an alleged Islamic group within the country’s police force.

Police in Istanbul raided a printing house Wednesday in search of computer files containing the book by Sik, who was arrested earlier this month in connection with the alleged “Ergenekon” plot, and erased a digital copy.

Officers yesterday raided the headquarters of Radikal, a sister newspaper of the Hürriyet Daily News, where they seized a printed copy of the book from investigative reporter Ertugrul Mavioglu, whose opinion on the draft Sik had reportedly sought, and told Mavioglu to delete a digital copy. That raid followed a decision by a Turkish court ordering all draft copies of the book – which the court labelled an “illegal organizational document” – to be confiscated.

Turkish media quoted the court as saying that Sik’s writings “do not have the characteristics of a book,” but represent the Ergenekon organization’s “orders and directives to be included in the manuscript,” which “have been placed between paragraphs”. The text therefore carries “characteristics of an organizational document”, the court said.

Sik had reportedly planned to name his book “The Army of the Imam” in reference to followers of influential Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. Sik’s wife said yesterday that police told her that she and anyone else with copies of the book would face accusations of “aiding a criminal organization” unless all copies are turned over.

Authorities accuse Sik of being part of the Ergenekon plot, which allegedly sought to create chaos through assassinations and attacks that would lead to calls for the military to take power from the current government. Turkish authorities have implicated hundreds of politicians, retired military officers, academics and journalists in the plot since its existence was first alleged in 2007.

Critics have accused the government of using the alleged plot to silence its opponents. The Freedom for Journalists Platform, an umbrella group representing local and national media organizations in Turkey, including IPI’s Turkish National Committee, has reported that Turkish authorities have targeted 68 journalists in criminal proceedings relating to the Ergenekon probe, activities on behalf of Kurdish groups, or membership in banned organisations.

Turkish officials maintain that Sik and other journalists have not been arrested because of their work. However, they have declined to release evidence purportedly linking journalists to the Ergenekon plot.

IPI Press & Communications Manager Anthony Mills said: “We remain highly concerned at the possibility that journalists are being targeted purely because of their work. The media have a fundamental right to keep citizens informed about issues of public interest, and constitute a pillar of any healthy democracy.”

This press release is supported by the South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate.

Vienna, 06/04/2011

The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), has launched a specialized website dedicated to press freedom-related developments in Hungary. The Budapest-based Center for Independent Journalism, a member of the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media, is SEEMO´s partner in this project.

The website www.hungarypressfreedom.org contains news, exclusive monthly reports, legal and political analyses, as well as expert opinions on the Hungarian Media Constitution and Media Act (Media Law) and its subsequent amendments.

The website follows political events and debates in Hungary and includes links to information and analyses on Hungary elaborated by governments, as well as human rights organisations specialized in press freedom.

The Hungarian Media Law, approved in December 2010, was criticized before and after its adoption. Some of its articles appear to violate European press freedom standards. Both IPI and SEEMO have advocated for changes, as have the European Commission, the OSCE and a host of Hungarian and international press freedom and freedom of expression groups. As a result of international pressure and criticism, especially by the European Commission, some controversial paragraphs of the law were amended and approved in March 2011. However, most press freedom organisations, including IPI and SEEMO, consider these amendments “cosmetic” rather than substantial.