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PRESS RELEASE:
World Press Freedom Day and SEEMO activities Vienna, 3 May 2005
SEEMO
is pleased that we have today in South Eastern Europe less direct pressures on
media by governments than we had a few years ago. However, the pressure is still
present, and we are especially worried about indirect state pressure. �It is
important that governments and state institutions recognise that journalists have the right to
work freely and independently,� said Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General.
SEEMO
is also deeply concerned that the work of investigative journalists in SEE is
often obstructed by local businessmen, officials or criminals. According to
Vujovic, �The work of investigative journalists is very important and helps
the democratisation process of the countries in the region. Officials, police
and courts should take every case of pressure against journalists more
seriously, and help journalists if they receive death threats.�
SEEMO
uses this oportunity to remind authorities in the region that there are still
unsolved investigations involving journalists killed in the past years. For
example, in Serbia, the authorities have not discovered the identities of the killers of
journalists Milan Pantic and the owner and
editor-in-chief of Dnevni Telegraf,
Slavko Curuvija, and have not finished the
investigation of the death of journalist Dada Vujasinovic. On 27 May 2005 it
will be one year since Dusko Jovanovic, editor-in-chief of the daily
Dan from Montenegro was killed. It is intolerable
that journalists and editors are being assassinated for carrying out their
professional duties.
SEEMO
is also concerned about hate speech, and the unethical or unprofessional
reporting of some media. �Some journalists are working more like propagandists
of a political party than like professionals. SEEMO sees as important the
acceptance of professional standards and the education of journalists in SEE,�
Vujovic said. On
today�s World Press Freedom Day we would also like to remember that three
kidnapped journalists from Romania, Marie Jean Ion, Sorin Miscoci and Ovidiu
Ohanesian, are still missing in Iraq. SEEMO
also urges governments in SEE to accept internationally recognised media
standards, including the decriminalisation of defamation. No journalist should
ever again be sentenced to jail for what he or she writes. Also, journalists
should be free from persecution under insult laws that protect public officials.
Officials should open the doors to journalists for free and easy access to
information, but on the other hand respect the right of journalists to protect
their sources of information. Regarding its activities, SEEMO would like to announce issues of two
SEEMO publications: South East Europe Media Handbook 2004/2005 and number 3 of
DeScripto, a quartely magazine of media in South Eastern Europe. SEEMO will also
continue this year its Dialogue Meetings between editors-in-chief and media
executives, with a meeting in October 2005 in Opatija with editors-in-chief and
media executives from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croata, Montenegro and Serbia, as well
as a meeting in November 2005 in Tirana with editors-in-chief and media
executives from Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo. SEEMO will
also organise this year a meeting of editors-in-chief and media executives of
private news agencies in the region.
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