16/08/2010: MOLDOVA – JURNALUL TV JOURNALIST VICTOR CIOBANU ASSAULTED IN CHISINAU, MOLDOVA

Vienna, 16/08/2010

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 the assault on Victor Ciobanu, a journalist for Jurnalul TV in Moldova.

According to information received by SEEMO, on 28 July 2010, Ciobanu was reporting on a copyright court case in front of the Chisinau Court of Appeals when a person working for the Moldovan Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (CCECC) approached him, destroyed his camera and removed the memory card.

Later that day at the police station, the memory card was returned to Ciobanu but it appeared that all images were removed.
SEEMO fully supports the statement of the Moldovan media NGO’s who are calling on authorities to reject such attitudes by their employees towards the media and journalists in particular, and who are urging for an investigation concerning the Ciobanu matter.

“It is important for journalists to be able to work in an open environment, and the security staff of a public body, especially one combating economic crimes and corruption, should be setting a good example instead of interfering with that right,” said Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General.

“SEEMO strongly believes that media have an important duty to inform the public about activities in their local communities. Persons working as public officials should be especially open and cooperative in communicating with journalists,” Vujovic added.

“Those with legitimate complaints against the media can pursue these complaints through a range of different mechanisms. However, attacking journalists is unacceptable.”

Vienna, 20/08/2010

Ukraine’s Kiev Administrative Court of Appeals has postponed a 16 August hearing on the withdrawal of frequencies from a number of television channels, including TVi and Channel 5. The new date for the hearing has been set for 26 August.

The director of TVi, Mykola Kniazhytsky, told IPI that the official reason for the postponement of the trial date was that not all the concerned parties were present, and that they had not received the mandated seven days of notice. However, Kniazhytsky expressed the opinion that building international pressure may have had an impact on the court’s decision.

“The attention of international organizations influenced the (court’s) decision not to ignore the proper legal procedure”, he told IPI in a telephone interview.

Concern over the deterioration of press freedom in Ukraine has been growing. In an open letter to President Viktor Yanukovych last week, IPI called attention to a rise in attacks on journalists along with a growing climate of impunity, and in expressed particular concern about the license allocation issue.

Local Ukrainian media reported that President Yanukovych responded to IPI in a statement on a government website. He was reported as saying that he was interested in “Ukraine’s having as many as possible new independent TV channels,” but that he, “as a citizen and the Guarantor of the Constitution, has no right to influence the courts that issued decisions on TV channels TVi and Channel 5.”

He was quoted as adding: “I wish we would not engage in propaganda, impose our vision on journalists, but let them simply truthfully cover the life of society.”

IPI Press Freedom and Communications Manager Anthony Mills said: “We reiterate our call on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure that the hearing on TV licenses is transparent and fair, and to identify and bring to justice those who attack journalists.”

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) fully supports this statement.

****For further information, please contact:

Mirjana Milosevic
SEEMO Press Freedom Coordinator
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
E-mail: info@seemo.org
Web: www.seemo.org

Vienna, 23/08/2010

The International Press Institute (IPI) expressed concern today over the safety of Ukrainian journalist Vasyl Klymentyev, who has been missing in the country for 10 days.

Klymentyev went missing on 11 August 2010 after leaving home with an unidentified man, according to local police reports. Ukrainian press freedom organisation, the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), has now expressed fears that Klymentyev may be dead after his mobile phone was reportedly found on a boat on a lake in the eastern region of Kharkiv.

Klymentyev, the editor-in-chief of the Noviy Stil newspaper, which focuses on corruption issues in Kharkiv, was known for his criticism of law enforcement agencies and, according to Associated Press (AP), he had been threatened after refusing money to kill a story about a regional prosecutor accused of accepting bribes to close criminal cases.

Police are investigating the case, with Klymentyev’s disappearance now classified as “premeditated murder”, although no motives or suspects have been officially identified.

After yesterday’s announcement that Interior Minister Anatoly Mogylyov was to take personal control of the case, AP reported on 20 August 2010, that President Viktor Yanukovych would be taking control of the case. Yanukovych was quoted as ordering the police to “make every possible and impossible effort” to find Klymentyev.

On 19 August 2010 Mogylyov had said that police had not ruled out that Klymentyev’s disappearance was linked to his reporting.

“Given the deterioration of press freedom in Ukraine, the climate of impunity surrounding attacks on journalists, and the reported statement from the police treating the case as a suspected murder and suggesting Mr. Klymentyev’s disappearance may have been linked to his work, we are extremely concerned for Mr. Klymentyev’s well-being,” said IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills.

“We urge the authorities to do everything in their power to thoroughly investigate his disappearance.”

Speaking to IPI about Klymentyev’s disappearance, independent broadcaster TVi director Mykola Kniazhytskyi said: “When those guilty of beating journalists are not prosecuted it breeds the atmosphere of impunity in the entire country.”

“It is about as likely that Vasyl Klymentyev will turn up alive and unharmed as UFOs landing in Ukraine.”

“Instead of ‘taking it under his personal control’ interior minister Anatoly Mogylyov should just ensure that the investigation proceeds according to law. And not only this investigation but other investigations of attacks on journalists as well. If this was done, his personal intervention would not be needed. Instead it can be reasonably feared that his ‘personal control’ means control over the information that might be unpleasant to the current government.”

Concern over the deterioration of press freedom in Ukraine has been growing. In an open letter to President Viktor Yanukovych last week, IPI called attention to a rise in attacks on journalists along with a growing climate of impunity, and a court case which may result in the loss of broadcasting licenses for two independent TV broadcasters.

In a recent development, a Kiev court decided to cancel the allocation of broadcasting frequencies to two privately-run TV channels – TVi and 5 Kanal, following apparent discrepancies in their licences. TVi director Kniazhytskyi told IPI that, “a number of topics became off-limits.” According to another IPI source in the country, 5 Kanal’s website was recently hacked and forced offline. It has since been restored.

Press freedom was particularly dire during the ten year presidency of Leonid Kuchma, who ruled until 2005. The low point came with the disappearance and murder of Georgiy Gongadze, the editor of the critical Internet newsletter Pravda Ukrayiny. His decapitated body was found on the outskirts of Kiev some two months after he went missing in September 2000.

There had been a marked improvement in press freedom since the Orange Revolution of 2004, although a number of concerns remained. Since the election of President Yanukovych in February 2009, the press freedom climate has again deteriorated.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) fully supports this statement.

****For further information, please contact:

Mirjana Milosevic
SEEMO Press Freedom Coordinator
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
E-mail: info@seemo.org
Web: www.seemo.org

Vienna, 25/08/2010

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) would like to express its concern at the statement issued by the organisation “Revolutionary Sect”, claiming the murder of Greek Journalist Socrates Giolias.

According to information received by SEEMO, the statement, which was published in the Greek newspaper Ta Nea on 28 July 2010, contains explicit smears against several journalists, and threats against the life and well-being of Nikos Hadjinikolaou, a well-known news anchor for ALTER, one of Greece’s foremost TV channels. It also threatens policemen and businessmen,

SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said: “These threats and smear tactics must not be taken lightly. This organisation has shown that it is ready to murder people as ‘punishment’ for ‘errors’ it attributes to them. SEEMO would like to call upon the Greek government to take all possible measures to safeguard the ability of journalists to exercise their profession.”

Vujovic added: “The current developments appear to be even more serious that the unsuccessful November 2009 bomb attacks on the offices of Moschos Voitsidis, president of the Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspapers, and the home of Panayotis Nestoridis, a former Journalists’ Union of Macedonia vice-president.”

“Although the condition of journalists in Greece was for a long time considered better than in most countries in the region, the last year has shown that the situation may be deteriorating. The rise of an organisation proclaiming its intention to “make blood flow”, leaving “not a millimetre of safe refuge in the lives” of journalists, should set alarm bells ringing.”

Vienna, 27/08/2010

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 deeply concerned about the restrictions on the freedom of movement of journalists in Kosovo.

According to information received by SEEMO in recent months, several journalists and media representatives working in Kosovo have been denied a passport because they are under police investigation.

In order to apply for a passport every applicant must submit a certificate issued by the competent court certifying that the applicant is not under investigation. This certificate is required from all applicants, even journalists – despite the fact that journalists are often sued because of their critical reporting.

“This is a clear restriction on the free movement of journalists” said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic. “Journalists cannot afford to be denied freedom of movement while they wait for all court decisions to be made; the fact that court verdicts take a long time to be passed only adds to the problem.”

“I call on the authorities in Pristina to respect journalists’ right to freedom of movement and to allow for exceptions when journalists have to leave the country for professional reasons.”

SEEMO urges the local authorities in Pristina to do everything in their power to bolster the free movement of journalists.

Vienna, 01/09/2010

IPI’s Turkey National Committee on 25 August 2010 joined other Turkish media organisations in the launch of a campaign targeting the use of prison sentences against journalists, and calling for those journalists currently imprisoned to be released. The organisations have all come together under the newly-created Turkish Journalists’ Association, in a united bid to improve press freedom in Turkey.

According to statistics from the IPI Turkish National Committee, more than 40 Turkish journalists are currently in prison, awaiting trial, because of their reports or columns in Turkey. Some journalists have been held without conviction for several years. Over 700 more journalists are currently facing law suits, with the threat of imprisonment, under specific articles in the Penal Code, press laws and anti-terror laws.

The Turkish Journalists’ Association, which held its first meeting on 18 August 2010, is the first organisation of its kind with such wide participation from the Turkish media. It draws membership from the Turkish Journalists’ Union, the Press Council, the Media Ethics Association, the Turkish Journalists’ Federation, the Newspaper Owners’ Association, the Sports Writers’ Association, the Economy Reporters’ Association, the Culture, Tourism and Environment Journalists’ Association, the Professional Reporters’ Association, the Reporters’ Union and the IPI Turkish National Committee.

Following the meeting on Wednesday the association established the Freedom for Journalists Platform to monitor issues concerning the freedom of journalists and to keep transgressions against press freedom in the public eye; a council of law will follow up judicial cases concerning press freedom.

IPI Turkey’s Chairwoman Ferai Tinc said, “This is the first time in Turkish press history that so many media organisations come together to raise their voices for press freedom. Sending journalists to prison because of their reports and opinions is a real threat to press freedom.”

“Press freedom is one of the main pillars of democracy. We want a democratic Turkey and a free press. Today we decided to bring together our forces to free our colleagues who are in prison and to demand from the Turkish government to make adequate adjustments to change this situation.”

In an illustration of its commitment to defending press freedom, the IPI Turkish National Committee on 19 August 2010 attended the 77th hearing of the ‘Ergenekon’ court case, in solidarity with two Turkish tabloid journalists who stand accused of membership of the alleged clandestine, ultra-nationalist organization.

Tuncay Ozkan and Mustafa Balbay, alongside a number of other prominent Turkish persons in politics, the security forces and academia, are accused of being members of the covert ‘Ergenekon’ network which allegedly planned terrorist attacks in an attempt to provoke a military coup to overthrow the mildly Islamist government. The organisation has been dubbed ‘Ergenekon’ after a mythical place located in the inaccessible valleys of the Altay Mountains, in central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together, which holds historical importance for Turkish nationalists.

Speaking to IPI Headquarters in Vienna, Secretary of the IPI Turkish National Committee Yurdanur Atadan said that Balbay and Ozkan, along with two other journalists faced unclear charges for their alleged part in the coup, with the indictment running to more than 5,000 pages. Balbay and Ozkan have been held in prison without conviction for three years and have been refused bail on seven occasions. Atadan told IPI Headquarters that she did not know when it was likely the journalists would finally face a full trial or be released.

Speaking on behalf of the journalist organisations present at the hearing, Oktay Eksi, chairman of the Turkish Press Council and a chief columnist at national daily newspaper Hurriyet, said: “We came here because we think that our colleagues here are lacking their right to a fair trial. We came here to show that we are together with them, to express that we stand for their benefits of the laws as anybody else.”

“They are our colleagues, brothers and we decided to come here because we think that supporting their rights is a prime task for us. Our decision includes all the journalists whose freedom is restricted.”

IPI Interim Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said: “We urge the authorities in Turkey to take note of this unprecedented united push to defend press freedom. Its initiation underscores the gravity of our press freedom concerns in the country. Journalists, like all other citizens in a democracy, should have the right to a fair trial. They should certainly not be locked up for years without being convicted of any crime. And they should never be sent to prison, or silenced in other ways, because of their critical reporting.”

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), supports this statement.

****For further information, please contact:

Mirjana Milosevic
SEEMO Press Freedom Coordinator
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
E-mail: info@seemo.org
Web: www.seemo.org

Vienna, 02/09/2010

The International Press Institute (IPI) expressed grave concern on 30 August 2010 for the state of media freedom in Ukraine after a court ruling forced one TV station off the air and limited the licences of another.

At a hearing in Kiev on 30 August 2010, the two privately-run TV channels, TVi and 5 Kanal, were told their broadcast frequencies would be cancelled after the court found in favour of allegations of irregularities in the manner in which the stations were awarded their licences. As TVi had renewed all its licences in the contested application, the channel lost all its licences; 5 Kanal only lost the new licences it had been awarded, limiting its broadcast reach across the vast country.

Senior executives from the stations, as well members of the National Board of Ukraine for Television and Radio, who awarded the licences, could all face criminal proceedings and ultimately prison sentences. The case now lies in the hands of the prosecutor general.

According to Ukrainian media experts, 5 Kanal and TVi are among the few Ukrainian TV channels that provide independent news coverage. In May, Natalia Ligacheva, chief editor of Kyiv-based Telekritika media watchdog, stated that the stations were the only remaining channels that Telekritika considered as unbiased.

Speaking to IPI by telephone shortly after the verdict, TVi Chief Executive Mykola Kniazhytskyi said: “As much as I expected it [the verdict], I am in shock.”

“We are forbidden to broadcast as of today. We consider this unlawful, but there is little we can do. We can still petition a higher court. It’s a futile gesture but we will still make it,” said Kniazhytskyi.

Owner of rival media holding Inter Media Group and head of Ukrainian Security Service, Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, has been accused by 5 Kanal of influencing the decision to remove licences, allegations Khoroshkovky has strongly refuted. Khoroshkovky had recently asked for a new tender for frequencies. According to the Kyiv Post, Inter Media Group currently indirectly owns 61 per cent of the shares of the Ukrainian Independent TV Corporation (Inter TV channel), 100 per cent of the TV Studio Information Service (NTN TV channel), 90 per cent of Music-TV (Enter Music TV Channel), as well as television channels K1, K2, Megasport and various other media assets.

In an earlier interview, Kniazhytskyi had said that since President Viktor Yanukovych was elected at the beginning of the year a number of topics became off-limits.

“It is clear the judge was prejudiced, ” Kniazhytskyi said today. “This is a turning point [for press freedom]. They are not going to stop at this.”
TVi can still operate its website and is still able to broadcast via cable.”

“Our viewership is severely limited. This is not economically viable; we cannot make a living like this. It is crippling,” said Kniazhytskyi.

Concern over the deterioration of press freedom in Ukraine has been growing in recent months. In an open letter to President Yanukovych earlier this month, IPI called attention to a rise in attacks on journalists along with a growing climate of impunity, as well as the TVi/5 Kanal court case. Although President Yanukovych commented on the letter indirectly to the Ukrainian media, IPI has yet to receive a direct response.

During his current visit to Germany, on 30 August 2010 German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on President Yanukovych to address unanswered questions regarding some democratic processes in his country, “in particular in the area of press freedom and the freedom of expression. ” According to the Associated Press, Merkel said both sides had agreed to openly and frankly discuss these issues in the future, if critical questions arise. Yanukovych offered no reply.

“This is a damaging blow to media freedom and the independent media in Ukraine,” said IPI Interim Director Alison Bethel McKenzie. “A diverse and critical media is the cornerstone of democracy and we are deeply concerned by the deterioration of media freedom in Ukraine.”

“I welcome Chancellor Merkel’s comments to President Yanukovych during his visit to Germany. Ukraine cannot be allowed to slide back into a climate of fear and repression that it has previously suffered.”

Bethel McKenzie also expressed concern for the well being of missing journalist Vasyl Klymentyev. According to the Kyiv Post, Interior Minister Anatoly Mogylyov told reporters on 27 August that investigators have reason to believe the editor-in-chief of the Noviy Stil newspaper, who has been missing since Wednesday, 11 August 2010, is dead and could have been killed by police in the eastern region of Kharkiv, where Klymentyev was based. His case is being treated by the authorities as a “premeditated murder,” although Klymentyev has yet to be found.

Although a number of concerns remained, there had been a marked improvement in press freedom since the Orange Revolution of 2004, which saw protests and following elections marred by corruption. Since the election of President Yanukovych in February 2010, the press freedom climate has again deteriorated.

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), supports this statement.

****For further information, please contact:

Mirjana Milosevic
SEEMO Press Freedom Coordinator
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
E-mail: info@seemo.org
Web: www.seemo.org

KOSOVO, 09/09/2010

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 the recent attack on Klan Kosova Television journalist Valentina Ahmeti and cameraman Arben Restelica, in the town of Ferizaj/Urosevac.

According to information received by SEEMO, on 8 September 2010 TV journalist Valentina Ahmeti and cameraman Arben Restelica were investigating a case at the Gjon Sereci elementary school in Ferizaj/Urosevac, and were filming parts of the school and interviewing students and teachers. The director of the school attacked Ahmeti and Restelica and locked them in a classroom for 40 minutes. Restelica managed to call the police who eventually escorted the director of the school to the nearest police station.

SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said, “SEEMO strongly condemns this attack against journalists, urges an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident, and calls on the local authorities to express their commitment to the safety of journalists and the protection of press freedom in general.”

Vujovic added, “Persons working as public officials should be cooperative in communicating with journalists. Those with legitimate complaints against the media can pursue such complaints through a range of different mechanisms. However, attacking journalists and locking them into a room is unacceptable.”

Vienna, 22/09/2010

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), strongly condemns the alleged mistreatment of a reporter and cameraman working for KohaVision in Decan/Decani in Kosovo, by Lieutenant Sejde Krasniqi.

According to information received by SEEMO, on 8 September 2010 a reporter working for KohaVision, Arta Avdiu and her cameraman Veton Veha were locked inside Lieutenant Krasniqi’s office and not allowed to leave.

Lieutenant Sejde Krasniqi has said he kept the journalists at the station to interrogate them because they were filming the police station without the appropriate permission.

Avdiu said they had been filming the police station from the other side of the road and when they wanted to enter the police station to obtain a view from inside, a police officer told them that they were not allowed to enter, so they left.

However, when they wanted to get into their car and drive away, Lieutenant Krasniqi called them back and interrogated them. Avdiu said that the police officer asked for IDs, work permits and other documents. When Avdiu and her colleague showed him their KohaVision IDs, Lieutenant Krasniqi said that they were not valid, began interrogating them, and forcibly kept them in the station.

SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said: “It is surprising that a lieutenant would react in this manner. Journalists have the right to request information, to be interested in and to publish topics which they consider in the public interest. Media press cards are legal documents showing that a journalist works for a media company and the police must recognize them as a valid document at any time. It is not acceptable that they were interrogated and kept in the office against their will.”

Lieutenant Krasniqi was immediately relieved of his duties, for hindering the journalists from doing their job. SEEMO views this as a positive development.

Oliver Vujovic added: “The fact that the local authorities relieved Lieutenant Krasniqi of his duties shows that some progress in maintaining freedom of the press in Kosovo is being made, which is a very important step towards the future.”

Vienna, 24/09/2010

A Ukrainian television station, which had its broadcast frequencies cancelled over allegations of irregularities in the manner in which the stations were awarded their licences, has decided not to abide by the decision and will continue its terrestrial broadcasts.

Channel TVi called the action by the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting – which issues the licences – “unfounded persecution” after a warning issued on 22 September to television company Skhind + (East +) in the city Slavyanska, which legally re-broadcastsTVi’s programmes.

Citing article 45-1 of the Law of Ukraine “About Information”, TVi Chief Executive Mykola Kniazhytskyi said in a statement sent to the International Press Institute:

“In accordance with current legislation of Ukraine, we do not consider the decision of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting to revoke amendments to our license a sufficient cause for termination of our terrestrial broadcast”.

“We will continue to broadcast … [and work] to prevent further imposition of censorship in Ukraine … We’re not sticking our head in the sand, but we won’t give up without a fight,” Kniazhytskyi told IPI.

Concern for press freedom in Ukraine has risen in recent months. In August, both TVi and 5 Kanal had some or all of their licences revoked due to alleged irregularities. Owner of rival media holding Inter Media Group and head of the Ukrainian Security Service, Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, was accused by 5 Kanal of influencing the decision to remove licences. Khoroshkovsky has strongly refuted the allegations.

IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills said: “We reiterate our concern at continuing efforts to silence TVi in particular, and independent broadcasters in general. A diverse and critical media is the cornerstone of democracy and we remain deeply perturbed by the deterioration of media freedom in Ukraine.”

In an open letter to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in August, IPI called attention to a rise in attacks on journalists along with a growing climate of impunity, as well as the TVi/5 Kanal court case. Although President Yanukovych commented on the letter indirectly to the Ukrainian media, IPI has yet to receive a direct response.

Also in August, editor and investigative reporter Vasyl Klymentyev went missing. He has since been presumed murdered. Interior Minister Anatoly Mogylyov was quoted by the media as indicating that he believed the local authorities to be behind the journalist’s death and that it could have been linked to his reporting.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) fully supports this statement.

****For further information, please contact:

Mirjana Milosevic
SEEMO Press Freedom Coordinator
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
E-mail: info@seemo.org
Web: www.seemo.org