07/04/2010: TURKEY – SEEMO PRESS RELEASE: TURKEY SENTENCES FORMER EDITOR OF KURDISH NEWSPAPER TO THREE YEARS IN PRISON

Vienna, 07/04/2010

Vedat Kursun, former editor of the Kurdish daily, Azadiya Welat was on Wednesday sentenced by a Turkish court to three years in prison in connection with two articles deemed to have spread propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK – which is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union, the United States and many other countries.

Kursun faces a cumulative total of 525 years in prison after being charged with 105 counts of “helping and abetting the PKK organization by spreading propaganda” and “glorifying crimes and criminals” in articles published in numerous issues of the newspaper. Kursun has already served 13 months in jail while awaiting his trial, after being arrested in Istanbul in January 2009 as he arrived in the city to testify in another case.

This is not the first time that a journalist from Azadiya Welat has been sent to jail. Ozan Kilinc, who was appointed editor of the newspaper after Kursun’s arrest, was sentenced to 21 years in prison in February this year for publishing reports and pictures about the PKK and its jailed leader in 12 separate issues of Azadiya Welat.

According to news reports, Azadiya Welat has replaced its chief editor six times since 2006. All six editors have been either jailed or fled the country to escape prison.

“The sentencing of Mr. Kursun to three years’ imprisonment casts a shadow over Turkish justice,” said IPI Director David Dadge. “Rather than the dispassionate application of the law, this looks very much like a decision to punish a journalist for practicing his profession. This sentence sends a signal to all Turkish journalists that they are at risk, if they anger the state.”

For more information, please contact:

Mirjana Milosevic
SEEMO Press Freedom Coordinator
info@seemo.org

Vienna, 15/04/2010

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), strongly condemns the arrest of Ernest Vardanian, an independent and well-known journalist in Moldova.

According to information brought to the attention of SEEMO, Vardanian was arrested on 7 April 2010 in front of his house in Tiraspol and was accused of espionage and treason by men who indentified themselves as secret service agents of the Transnistria region of Moldova. Vardanian remains in pre-trial detention. If found guilty, he could face 12-20 years in prison.

Vardanian is an independent journalist well-known in Moldova for his often critical reporting on state officials and matters of public interest. Vardanian was also a correspondent for the Russian Novuy Region agency.

SEEMO Secretary-General Oliver Vujovic said: “The accusations against Vardanian of high treason due to critical reporting are unacceptable. SEEMO regards prison terms for defamation as a gross violation of internationally-accepted standards and believes that defamation should be treated under civil law, not as a criminal offence subject to punishment by the state. SEEMO urges the Ministry of Security in Tiraspol to withdraw the charges and the prison sentence. SEEMO would also like to remind the Ministry of Security in Tiraspol that an open media environment, allowing for the free flow of information, is a fundamental principle of any democratic society.”

The arrest and charging of Vardanian has prompted members of the Moldovan government and various international organizations to call for his release. SEEMO fully supports all these organizations, as well as those Moldovan authorities calling for Vardanian’s release.

Vienna, 20/04/2010

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is alarmed at the political pressure being exercised on media in both Romania and Bulgaria.

According to information received by SEEMO, on 13 April 2010 in Romania’s Senate, Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc grabbed the microphone of a journalist working for the private network Realitatea TV and then publicly accused Realitatea TV of causing disorder through biased and misinformed broadcasting. Boc claimed to be disturbed by the fact that a government spokeswoman had not been allowed to reply to critical reports on Realitatea TV.

Networks Antena 2 and Antena 3 have also come under fire from Boc in the past. Antena 3 has even been sanctioned by the National Council of the Audience (CNA), and now Realitatea TV faces the same possibility. Romania’s ruling political party (PDL) announced that all its members should immediately cease communicating with Realitatea TV and Antena 3.

It is cause for alarm that pressure is being exerted through a call for politicians to boycott certain media outlets. The political pressure is preventing journalists and media executives from carrying out their work professionally and independently.

SEEMO supports The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European network of The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in their statement on this matter.

Meanwhile, SEEMO expressed concern that Pavlina Trifonova, a Bulgarian journalist working with the daily newspaper 24 Hours, had to file a lawsuit against the Bulgarian Council of Ministers in April 2010 in order to receive information she had requested.

Trifonova filed a lawsuit over the refusal of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers to provide information on expenses during trips abroad by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

Trifonova requested information on the number of business trips, the locations they involved, and the expenses incurred. The Council of Ministers simply informed Trifonova that Borisov pays his own costs.

After Trifonova filed the lawsuit against the Council of Ministers, all of the requested information was provided to her.

SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said: “SEEMO is alarmed about these cases, all of which involve political pressure on journalists and the principle of freedom of expression. It is vital that journalists be able to report freely on current affairs and matters of public concern. Any attempts to influence media independence are unacceptable. The exercise of media independence is fundamental to the credibility of a media organisation, and for governments to seek ways to undermine this principle is appalling in countries that are members of the European Union.”

He added: “SEEMO calls upon Romanian and Bulgarian state officials, and officials of the political parties, to express any dissatisfaction towards journalists in another, democratic way instead of blocking communication. They must keep in mind that in a democratic society critical reporting is vital.”

Vienna, 23/04/2010

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), condemns a court decision to reject charges against six people who allegedly threatened to murder Serbian journalist Brankica Stankovic – a reporter for B92 TV programme “Insajder”(“Insider”).

Stankovic and her team of investigative reporters have received several death threats while reporting on the activities of the leaders of extremist football fan clubs – which led to a law suit followed by media throughout the country.

According to information received by SEEMO, on 22 April 2010 the Serbian Court of First Instance rejected all charges against the six persons, saying the matter was private. This meant that the court regarded the matter as one involving an insult, rather than a death threat – even though it is publicly known that the persons chanted to Stankovic that she “is a dangerous snake and will end up like Curuvija (a Serbian journalist who was shot in front of his apartment and whose killers were never found).” The six have now been released.

“The court verdict and the release of these persons have triggered a chain reaction of disbelief throughout all Serbian media,” said SEEMO Secretary-General Oliver Vujovic.

He added: “The court verdict is a negative example of the Serbian court system and can now only be a motivation for those who want to continue attacking journalists in Serbia, since clearly journalists are not protected enough. Verbal threats are dangerous, especially if they come from organised groups such as the extremist football fans, and should not be underestimated. It is worrying that, on the one hand, Stankovic receives police protection as her life may be in danger, but, on the other hand, the Serbian Court of First Instance decides otherwise and sees the threats that were made as a private insult and not a death threat. The release of the people allegedly involved spreads fear amongst journalists who work on investigative stories. SEEMO is very alarmed that the court has taken a step that endangers independent reporting, investigative journalism and press freedom in Serbia.”

SEEMO welcomes the professional work of the Serbian police, who arrested those involved and offered police protection to Stankovic. SEEMO also welcomes the announcement by Tomo Zoric, spokesman of the Prosecutor’s Office, and Slobodan Homen, State Secretary of Justice, who intend to appeal against the court ruling. SEEMO fully supports the reactions of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) and the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS).

Vienna, 28/04/2010

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is alarmed by the sudden dismissal of Diana Kalaja, deputy director-general of the public broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar – RTSH (Albanian Radio and Television).

According to information received by SEEMO, on 9 March 2010, the steering committee of RTSH organised a meeting and decided to “free” Kalaja from her position as deputy director-general without advance notice. No explanation was given for the decision and there was no prior communication with Kalaja, who had not been invited to the meeting. A new deputy director-general was appointed during the same meeting.

Over the past weeks, several groups have expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality of RTSH’s reporting, which they allege is pro-government.

The official notification of Kalaja’s dismissal was made two days after the news was published in the printed press.

Despite Kalaja’s attempts to contact the steering committee asking for a clarification of the decision, her efforts remain unanswered and ignored to date. The European Broadcasting Union added its support to Kalaja last month, calling the media executive an “efficient, intelligent and professional partner.”

Commenting on the dismissal, SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said, “It is remarkable that suddenly, and without advance notice, Kalaja has been dismissed from her position and that her efforts to seek clarification from the steering committee remain ignored.”

Vujovic added, “In the past, SEEMO has reported on the pressures exerted on public broadcasters, and this appears to be another example of the political interference and huge financial and economic pressures on the public broadcasting sector in Albania and its executives.”

“SEEMO urges the political powers in Albania to refrain from pressuring the country’s public broadcasters. We further urge them, to support and foster an independent and professional public broadcasting system, and to fully investigate Kalaja’s case. SEEMO will continue to carefully monitor the public broadcasting situation in Albania.”

Vienna, 05/05/2010

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is concerned after the Bulgarian authorities denied a group of journalists from the Republic of Macedonia/FYROM entry into Bulgaria.

According to information received by SEEMO, on 24 April 2010 Slavko Manginovski a journalist for TV Sonce, with US citizenship, along withDejan Petkovski and Sase Ocevski, two cameramen for TV Sonce, both citizens of the Republic of Macedonia/FYROM,were on their way to report on a celebration held by the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria in the Bulgarian town Melnik. They were accompanied by university professor Tihomir Stojanovski from the School of Drama Arts at the University of Cyryl and Methodius, Skopje. The journalists had their camera equipment with them and were travelling in a car clearly marked with the words ‘Press’ and ‘TV Sonce’.

Upon their arrival at the border crossing of Zlatarevo, the group was prevented by Bulgarian customs officials from entering Bulgaria despite identifying themselves as journalists.

After being held at the border for about two hours, Manginovski, Petkovski, Ocevski and Stojanovski were asked to leave the border area and return to the Republic of Macedonia / FYROM. The reasons given for the refusal to allow entry were that they had no medical insurance, no vouchers for a hotel and no official invitation to visit Bulgaria.

“SEEMO condemns this move by the Bulgarian authorities, saidSEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic. Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and is expected to uphold the right to press freedom, one of the pillars of democracy.”

He added: “It was clear that the journalists were travelling on duty to Bulgaria. Instead of helping them acquire medical insurance at the border, the Bulgarian customs authorities blocked the journalists from entering Bulgaria. Asking professional journalists at the border for hotel vouchers and invitation letters is not acceptable and a clear step by the Bulgarian authorities against freedom of movement of journalists. Such treatment of journalists at the border is not acceptable for a democratic country like Bulgaria.

“Decisions like these prevent journalists from working freely and hinder the free flow of information. SEEMO therefore urges the Bulgarian authorities to do everything in their power to investigate this matter and to ensure that cases like these do not happen again in the future.”

Vienna, 10/05/2010

The Supreme Court of Slovakia is suing a Slovakian radio station to the tune of €200,000 in a lawsuit alleging that the station falsely suggested that the Supreme Court had spent €32,700 on the refurbishment of the bathroom of the court’s president.

If found guilty, the station may be ordered to pay damages to Supreme Court President and former Minister of Justice Stefan Harabin, who brought the lawsuit against Radio Express on behalf of the court.

The case was filed in a Bratislava District Court in April and refers to a broadcast on 19 January in which the claim was made that the renovation of the bathroom adjacent to Harabin’s office had cost 1 million SKK, or approximately €32,700. The Supreme Court has argued that this figure referred to the cost of the renovation of the entire office, and that the renovation of the bathroom cost only €2,279. Harabin, on behalf of the Supreme Court, is demanding €200,000 in damages for the sullying of the court’s reputation. Radio Express was quoting a figure from Russia’s Pravda newspaper, which has also been sued for damaging the court’s reputation.

“This lawsuit is not aimed at protecting the reputation of the court, but at the liquidation of media who say things that are ‘inconvenient’,” said Pavol Mudry, a board member of IPI, and its affiliate, the Southeast Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), as well as of SITA, the Slovak News Agency.

This lawsuit has added to growing concern about the independence of the Slovak judiciary in cases relating to libel and defamation.

According to an article in the Slovak Spectator, in 2009, courts in the country awarded over €309,000 in damages to public officials in civil actions against publishers and other media.

“While it is not unheard of for sizeable damages to be awarded in other European countries, the number of cases and the fact that most are initiated by public officials seems to be a trend specific to Slovakia at present,”IPI noted at the time.

Earlier this month, IPI welcomed a decision by the Constitutional Court in Slovakia that the judiciary had violated the rights of a Slovakian weekly magazine and failed to take into account the principle of freedom of expression when it directed the magazine to pay SKK 250,000 (€8,300) to a judge for defamation of his character.

The Constitutional Court referred in its decision to rulings by the European Commission of Human Rights, the German Federal Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Canada, and ruled that given the plaintiff’s public role and the nature of the article in question, the magazine was within its rights to publish the article.

This decision was hailed as a significant victory for press freedom in Slovakia, and was widely expected to set a precedent preventing further cases of excessive damages against the media in libel suits.

“We are concerned at the repeated use, in Slovakia, of civil defamation cases, accompanied by disproportionate fines targeting the media, said IPI Deputy Director Alison Bethel McKenzie. Such a trend creates an environment in which independent media may feel pressured and intimidated, and acts as a restriction on investigative reporting.”

Vienna, 01/06/2010

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), urges the Croatian authorities to step up their efforts to bring to justice those responsible for the attack on Dusan Miljus.

Two years ago, on 2 June 2008, in front of his home in Zagreb, Croatia, Miljus was brutally attacked by unidentified men who beat him with baseball bats until he lost consciousness. When a neighbour noticed the attack and started yelling, the men fled.

Since the attack, Miljus has been threatened. On 9 July, 2008, serious threats were communicated by telephone to a relative of Miljus, who was told that if Miljus did not “stop talking, other members of his family might get hurt”. The unknown male caller then clearly indicated that he had information about Miljus’ family members. Miljus was also previously threatened by way of a paid advertisement in a newspaper, in which the sister of a murdered criminal convict issued an obituary for Miljus.

Miljus’ writings span 20 years and cover crime in South East Europe, the mafia and Croatian underground circles.

“Even though SEEMO welcomes the police protection, it is alarmed at the continued failure of the police to track down the perpetrators, and urges the Croatian authorities to do everything in their power to ensure Miljus’ protection and to finally bring to justice the persons behind this brutal attack2 said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic.

Vujovic added; “Croatia, a country aiming for European Union membership, already has anti-corruption as a main topic on the agenda. Therefore it is worrisome that investigative journalists like Miljus, who dare to report openly, are not protected enough. Unfortunately they remain a target, like the late Ivo Pukanic, a journalist and owner of the NCL Media Group in Zagreb who was murdered in October 2008, together with Niko Franjic, marketing director of the weekly newspaper Nacional, which is published by NCL.”

SEEMO strongly supports the statement made by the Croatian Journalist Association (CJA-HND) and the public letter it sent, referring to this matter, to Tomislav Karamarko, the Minister of Interior of Croatia.

Vienna, 23/06/2010

The South 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 a Tirana District Court verdict in favour of a claim filed by former Albanian Minister of Culture Ylli Pango.

According to information received by SEEMO, on 18 June 2010 the Tirana District Court ruled in favour of a claim by the former Albanian Minister of Culture, Ylli Pango, and found Top Channel TV liable for damages because a video and audio recording had been obtained illegally. The broadcaster was ordered to pay a fine of EUR 400,000.

In March 2009, Top Channel TV airedrecordings made during the investigative program Fisk Fare showing Pango having private meetings with female job applicants. One of the meetings was held at his private villa in Tirana, Albania. During the meeting the recording appears to show a woman being repeatedly asked to take her clothes off. The airing of the recordings instantly triggered a chain of reactions throughout Albania.

Half an hour after the broadcasting, a statement was issued by Prime Minister Sali Berisha which led to Pango’s dismissal; Pango in turn sued the broadcaster.

“SEEMO strongly condemns the court verdict, as Top Channel TV has to pay an exorbitant fine,” said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic. “This was a matter of public interest and we urge that the court verdict be annulled. Top Channel TV should not been charged in the first place. The media functions as an important pillar of democratic society by performing its work in the interest of the public.”

Vujovic added: “Investigative reporting permits members of the public to access a wide range of information, in turn allowing the necessary public debate of issues that affect them. SEEMO supports Top Channel TV’s decision to appeal in court.”

SEEMO would like to emphasize that, when journalists are limited to publishing only those articles approved for publication by the government or international institutions they essentially function as spokespersons for those entities – a role at complete odds with their goal of providing information that is in the public interest.

Vienna, 25/06/2010

Hungary’s parliament is due to vote in less than a week on proposed media reform legislation which opposition parties and journalists have warned constitutes a throwback to the dark days of free media repression in the former Soviet satellite state.

Voting on one part of the legislative package related to print media content and the Internet has been postponed until the autumn but the government is forging ahead with a key section that deals with public broadcasting regulation.

The package’s proponents have cast it as much-needed reform of the country’s 1996 media law but critics of the ruling conservative Fidesz party accuse it of employing its two-thirds parliamentary majority to rush through a media package that would grant the government strong influence over key media outlets.

The planned legislation would fully overhaul Hungary’s current media governance setup.

The proposed creation of a Media Council has attracted particularly strong criticism. The powerful Council would operate within a new authority created through the fusion of the national radio and television authority (ORTT) and the telecom authority (NHH), and its head would be appointed by the prime minister. The four other members are to be appointed by a parliamentary committee, through a two-thirds majority vote in the absence of consensus, paving the way for ruling party control of the body.

Under the new legislation, officials would also have an automatic right of response to reports they do not like.

Critics of the package have warned that the supervising mechanism it foresees would fail to represent the full political, cultural and social spectrum in Hungary.

There is also strong concern at the suggestion of a media “constitution”, ostensibly designed to guarantee “balanced reporting”, and the section envisaging mandatory news items considered important for society.

Commenting on the proposed media package, IPI board member and former editor-in-chief of Hungarian weekly newspaper HVG, said: “If the public service part is accepted [on Monday or Tuesday] it will be very serious … They want to control everything.”

Another Hungarian media representative, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic, said: “It’s dangerous from the point of view of press freedom. The first package focuses mainly on the public media structure. In this, the newly-established system of supervision is dangerous because it gives the government [undue] influence. This body does not reflect the makeup of Hungarian society … It’s a dangerous concentration of power which leans towards the present government.”

He added: “It was put through hastily in 10 days with the intention to get it through as quickly as possible.”

IPI Director David Dadge said: “We are concerned at what appears to be a fast-track legislative effort, on the part of Hungary’s ruling party, to pass media legislation that would provide the government with powerful influence over the country’s public broadcasters and its national news agency. We urge the government to withdraw all of the proposed legislation and to open it up to broad discussion. Any media reform must preserve the independence of the media.”

Meanwhile, Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, has appealed to the Hungarian Government today to halt the draft media legislation.

In a letter to Hungary’s foreign minister Janos Martonyi, she noted: “The proposed laws are highly worrisome regarding media freedom in your country … Their adoption could lead to all broadcasting being subordinated to political decisions.”

She added that there would be “no time for public debate, which is common international practice for such legislation and must involve the professional stakeholders in Hungary.”