23/06/2010: ALBANIA – SEEMO PRESS RELEASE: AFTER FORMER ALBANIAN MINISTER OF CULTURE FILES CLAIM, COURT FINES TOP CHANNEL TV FOR AIRING ALLEGED SEXUAL HARASSMENT SCANDAL TAPE

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.”

Vienna, 30/06/2010

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 very concerned about the Romanian National Defence Strategy which has been adopted by the Romanian Supreme Defence Council (CSAT) and passed on to the Romanian Parliament.

According to information received by SEEMO, the President of Romania initiated a National Defence Strategy which contained, among other things, serious allegations against the media – which is described as a security threat and vulnerability for Romania due to alleged press campaigns aimed at spreading false information about the activity of state institutions. The document has been adopted by the CSAT and was passed on to the Romanian Parliament on 23 June 2010.

The National Defence Strategy has sparked reaction throughout Romania and from various international media organisations.

“It is very alarming that the President of Romania, a member country of the European Union, has issued such a strategy laying out allegations against the media instead of defending freedom of speech and democracy,” said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic.

Vujovic added: “It is even more worrisome that the strategy has already been adopted by the CSAT. In a democratic society the media plays an important role by informing the public about matters of public interest. The National Defence Strategy poses a threat to freedom of speech and critical reporting. SEEMO strongly condemns the statements suggesting that the media is a security threat and vulnerability for Romania, and calls on the Romanian Parliament to respect the role of the media and reject the strategy accordingly.”

Vienna, 02/07/2010

Hungary’s ruling party Fidesz on Monday announced a decision to delay a vote on a number of media bills which critics have warned constitute a throwback to state control in the former Soviet satellite state.

Hungary’s parliament was due to vote on Monday on the proposed creation of a powerful Media Council – strongly criticised by opposition politicians and journalists – which would operate within a new authority created through the fusion of the national radio and television authority (ORTT) and the telecom authority (NHH), and whose head would be appointed by the country’s prime minister. The four other members would be appointed by a parliamentary committee, through a two-thirds majority vote in the absence of consensus, thus ensuring ruling party control of the body.

According to Hungarian national news agency MTI the two Fidesz party MPs who announced the delay said it was prompted by inconsistencies in the bills’ order of presentation. They also said more time was needed to hear out suggestions by media professionals before a final vote.

Fidesz deputy Andras Cser-Palkovics said that the section of the media law package dealing with regulation of public media would be put to a final vote by 19 July 2010, MTI reported.

A portion of the package dealing with Internet regulation and print media content had already been postponed to the end of the summer.
Media professionals and opposition MPs had suggested that Hungary’s ruling party – which presides over a two-thirds majority in Parliament – was trying to rush the bill through, without respecting the usual consultative procedure.

IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills said: “While we welcome the postponement, albeit it only for a few weeks, of some of the most worrisome elements of the proposed media package, we reiterate our call for the full withdrawal of the package in its current form. Any media reform initiative should preserve the independence of Hungary’s media and should be implemented only after consultation with all of the key stakeholders.”

Vienna, 06/07/2010

A second Polish journalist has been refused a visa for China, three months after his colleague was also blacklisted and denied entry into the country.

Konrad Godlewski, 34, a freelance journalist commissioned by Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland’s largest daily newspaper, was denied entry to China for the China-Europe Forum in Chengdu from 7-11 July 2010, despite having been officially invited to take part by the organisers, the Europe China Foundation. He had applied for his visa in mid-June, and it was refused on 29 June 2010. He was given no explanation beyond the fact that he had been blacklisted by Chinese authorities in Beijing. No reason for his blacklisting was given.

Godlewski, who had worked on the staff of Gazeta Wyborcza from 2002-2005, and for the Polish Press Agency, and had visited the country without incident previously. He had specialised in covering China and had spent time studying the language in Beijing.

“This is a tragedy for me,” he told IPI on Monday. “My idea for my career was to specialise in China. My dream was to be a correspondent there. Now I feel like a fisherman whose boat has been stolen.”

Godlewski believes his blacklisting may have been sparked by an interview in May 2010 between Wang Lixiong, a prominent Chinese writer and critic of China’s Tibetan policy, and the Dalai Lama in New York, which he translated for Gazeta Wyborcza.

The rejection of Godlewski’s visa application comes just three months after another Polish journalist, Maria Kruczkowska, was also denied a visa for China. Kruczowska, who has reported on China for Gazeta Wyborcza for the past 11 years, was denied a visa for China for the World Expo in Shanghai in May 2010, nine days before the event was due to start, despite applying in January 2010.

Kruczkowska had also travelled several times to China without incident but was placed on a blacklist for journalists by authorities in Beijing after a critical article she wrote about China and the Olympic Games in 2008 appeared on the front page of Gazeta Wyborcza.

Kruczkowska, who is one year away from retirement, told IPI: “This will affect my work radically. I cannot write reports without visiting the country… I am close to retirement, why make a fuss?”

“We don’t know if it is a just problem with me or our daily [newspaper].”

Speaking following the second visa refusal, IPI board member and Gazeta Wyborcza Deputy Editor-in-Chief Piotr Stasinski said: “It’s deeply surprising that the Chinese authorities – though they seemingly declare to broaden good relationships with the outside world, and with the European Union in particular, and though the Chinese government promotes Chinese investment in the EU – deny visas to journalists from Poland, an EU member.”

“Maria Kruczkowska and Konrad Godlewski are both very knowledgeable reporters, experienced in covering modern China issues and developments.”

“Chinese authorities consistently oppose any form of meddling in internal affairs of other countries, and declare mutual respect for other countries’ values. However, denying entry to foreign journalists, and – even more so – blacklisting them, amount to profound harming of the press freedom which is a widely shared and important value of democratic world.”

IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills said: “We expect China to abide by universal press freedom values. This includes allowing foreign journalists to cover developments inside China, just as Chinese journalists should be allowed to cover events elsewhere in the world. Maria Kruczkowska and Konrad Godlewski are apparently being denied entry into China because they are associated with pieces of journalism critical of the Chinese authorities. We urge China to refrain from blacklisting journalists because of their work and to allow them access to the country so that they can continue to inform the public.”

A spokesperson for the Consular Office at the Chinese Embassy in Poland told IPI that the Chinese authorities are not obliged to reveal why journalists are placed on “the list”.

Covering events in China has been consistently difficult for foreign journalists, despite a brief liberalising of the strict regulations during the Olympics in 2008, when, following pressure from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the international community, China adopted regulations granting foreign journalists freedom of movement and freedom to interview whoever they wanted.

These regulations were followed, however, by a spate of attacks against foreign journalists (338 cases between 1 January 2007 and the end of 2008, according to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China, or FCCC); and restrictions on Chinese citizens’ contact with foreign journalists. Families of Chinese human rights victims have been forbidden from talking to the media.

The FCCC reported that at least 10 foreign journalists received anonymous death threats in 2008.

Vienna, 08/07/2010

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 concerned about the recently-adopted Electronic Communications Law in Serbia.

According to information received by SEEMO, on 29 June 2010 the Serbian parliament adopted the new Electronic Communications Law which envisages the creation of a database on personal electronic communications of citizens and allows national security and police forces to view the contents without the need for prior permission.

Serbian President Boris Tadic signed the law despite warnings by critics that it was unconstitutional and a threat to freedom of expression, and could jeopardise the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.

SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said: “Journalists in Serbia are particularly vulnerable to state efforts to access their personal data, especially in relation to attempts to identify their sources.”

He added: “SEEMO understands that Serbia wants to improve its legal system and safety record, all of which is for a good cause. Nonetheless, protection of the confidentiality of sources is integral to a journalist’s ability to uncover information which is of interest to the general public.”

Vienna, 19/07/2010

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), strongly condemns the murder of Socrates Giolias, director of the radio station Thema 98.9 FM and administrator of the most popular social and political Greek blog Troktiko.

According to information received by SEEMO, during the early morning of 19 July 2010, an unidentified man rang the doorbell at Giolias’s home and informed him that someone was attempting to steal his car. Giolias went outside to the building entrance where he had parked his car and it was then he was shot several times. Giolias’s body was riddled with bullets and he died on the spot. Three alleged perpetrators fled the scene and remain at large.

Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General said: “First and foremost, our condolences go out to Giolias’s family, friends and colleagues for their tragic loss. This is another black day for journalism and, moreover, journalists as such.”

Vujovic added that he was alarmed about the dreadful crime and that, “It is very important to find the person or persons responsible for this killing of a media owner as soon as possible. SEEMO asks the Greek authorities and police to do everything they can to solve the case and to bring to justice those who planned Giolias’s killing and SEEMO therefore welcomes a full police investigation.”

Vienna, 21/07/2010

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), strongly condemns yesterday’s attack on Caslav Milisavljevic, Editor-in-Chief of Radio Kosovska Mitrovica, in the Kosovo municipality of Zvecan.

According to information received by SEEMO, during the early morning hours of 20 July 2010, an explosive device was thrown in the courtyard of Milisavljevic’s home. The device exploded, causing damage to three automobiles, but fortunately no one was hurt in the incident. Although Milisavljevic reported the attack to the local police, the unknown perpetrators remain at large.

“SEEMO strongly condemns the bomb attack on Milisavljevic and calls upon the local authorities to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation and to bring to justice those responsible,” SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said.

Vujovic continued, “Journalists must never be targeted for what they write or say, regardless of their reporting style or their background. Furthermore, any attacks on journalists must be fully investigated and carry consequences for the perpetrators. SEEMO urges the local police to do everything in their power to provide a secure environment for journalists.”

Vienna, 26/07/2010

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), strongly condemns the brutal attack on journalist Teofil Pancic of the Serbian weekly Vreme.

According to information received by SEEMO, on the night of 24 July 2010, Pancic was attacked by two alleged perpetrators who beat him with metal bars as he sat in a packed public transportation bus in Zemun, Serbia. After the attack, the perpetrators fled the scene and remain at large. Pancic suffered a concussion and injuries on his right arm.

SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic commented: “SEEMO strongly condemns the physical attack on Pancic and regards the attack as a flagrant violation of press freedom.”

“At present, the press freedom situation in Serbia remains alarming,” Vujovic added. “It is very worrisome that brutal physical attacks on journalists, such as this, still occur in Serbia. It is very important not only to find the alleged perpetrators but to find out who is the master brain behind the attack.”

“SEEMO urges the local police authorities to carry out a thorough investigation and calls on the Serbian Minister of Interior, Ivica Dacic, to step up his promise of protecting journalists from threats both verbal and physical.”

SEEMO would like to remind Serbian authorities that there are still many unresolved cases of attacks on journalists stretching back to the 1990s, including the unsolved murder of journalists Dada Vujasinovic, Slavko Curuvija and Milan Pantic. Even bomb attacks in front of the apartment of Dejan Anastasijevic and the kidnapping case of Dusan Reljic, both who were also working for Vreme.

Vienna, 06/08/2010

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), is very pleased by several positive media developments in Serbia.

SEEMO salutes the decision of the High Court in Nis, in a defamation case against Serbian daily newspaper Narodnih Novina journalist Dragana Kocic and editor-in-chief Timosenko Milosavljevic, to rule in favour of the defendants. Together, the two had been sentenced by the Court of First Instance to pay a fine of 1,000,000 Serbian dinars (approx. 10,800 EUR) for publishing an article using quotes from official documents – an indictment against a former military official.

SEEMO considers the High Court verdict an important decision. SEEMO had been monitoring the trial against Kocic from the outset, issuing official protest statements criticising the case and also holding discussions with the Serbian authorities in Belgrade.

SEEMO is also pleased with a development in the case of Brankica Stankovic and her team of investigative reporters, who work for the B92 TV programme, “Insajder” (“Insider”). They had received several death threats while reporting on the activities of the leaders of extremist football fan clubs, and on 22 April 2010 the Serbian Court of First Instance rejected all charges against six persons detained in the matter, saying it was a private affair. The ruling triggered a chain of reactions throughout Serbia.

In a recent decision, though, the Higher Court of Appeal overruled the decision of the Court of First Instance and sentenced the leader of the Partizan football fan club one year and four months in prison over the alleged threat to the security of Stankovic in the form of chants such as: “You are dangerous snake and will end up like Curuvija” (a Serbian journalist shot in front of his apartment and whose killers have never been found). Additionally, the Higher Court of Appeal revoked the decision by the Court of First Instance in Belgrade, which had rejected the charges against six persons who allegedly threatened Stankovic, and returned the case to the Court of First Instance for further proceedings. SEEMO hopes the other persons connected to this case will be brought to justice as well.

SEEMO had also expressed concern about proposed amendments to the Law on Public Information which were drafted by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Justice, and were accepted in summer 2009 by the Serbian Parliament and signed by the Serbian President Boris Tadic. SEEMO objected when the Law on Public Information was handed down and has on several occasions criticised politicians in Belgrade because the proposed legislation inhibited media freedom. The amendments could have led to increased self-censorship and even the closure of some media organisations. Investigative journalism could have been greatly curtailed. However, in a positive development, the Constitutional Court of Serbia, which was examining the case, rejected certain provisions of the amended law.

It is also a very positive sign that the alleged perpetrators of the brutal attack on journalist Teofil Pancic of the Serbian weeklyVreme have been captured.

SEEMO reported that on the night of 24 July 2010 Pancic was attacked by two alleged perpetrators who beat him with metal bars as he sat in a packed public bus in Zemun, Serbia. After the attack, the perpetrators fled the scene leaving Pancic behind with concussion and injuries to his right arm.

SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said: “SEEMO welcomes the thorough police investigation which has proved to be highly efficient and serious, especially since the alleged perpetrators were identified on the basis of DNA analysis. However, it still needs to be determined who masterminded the obviously planned brutal attack on Pancic, and there remain many unresolved cases of attacks on journalists in Serbia which also require attention.”

Vujovic added: “SEEMO also welcomes the decision of the Constitutional Court of Serbia rejecting certain provisions of the amended Law on Public Information which could threaten press freedom and were considered unconstitutional. The court decisions in Nis and Belgrade can definitely be seen as a step in the right direction towards helping the survival of investigative journalism.”

“These, together with the detention of the alleged perpetrators of the attack on Pancic, are very positive and promising signals that Serbia is making steps towards a democratic society which allows press freedom. And towards the European Union.”