d`une centaine de journalistes mis sur écoute illégalement

Macédoine (ARYM) : plus d’une
centaine de journalistes mis
sur écoute illégalement
Le
gouvernement
macédonien
est
accusé
par
le
chef
de
l’opposition d’avoir illégalement mis sur écoute les
téléphones de plus de 20.000 citoyens, dont plus de 100
journalistes.
La Fédération européenne des journalistes (FEJ) ainsi que ses
membres macédoniens- le syndicat des journalistes macédoniens
et travailleurs des médias (SSNM) et l’Association des
journalistes de Macédoine (ZNM) – ont exprimé leur grave
préoccupation au sujet de nouvelles allégations de
surveillance de masse non autorisée de journalistes et des
citoyens en Macédoine.
Zoran Zaev, chef du parti d’opposition Union sociale-démocrate
de Macédoine (SDSM, centre-gauche), a publié aujourd’hui
(25/02/2015) des informations détaillées sur les écoutes
téléphoniques de plus de 100 journalistes macédoniens durant
plus de trois ans.
« Cette violation de la vie privée affecte directement la
liberté de presse en Macédoine et alimente un climat de peur
et d’autocensure. Si les accusations sont confirmées, les
autorités macédoniennes seront coupables d’avoir violés le
droit des journalistes à protéger leurs sources », a déclaré
Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, Président de la FEJ.
« Nous avons à maintes reprises crié notre désarroi face aux
agissements du gouvernement macédonien – en réalité d’un petit
groupe de personnes au sein de ce même gouvernement – visant à
contrôler le travail des journalistes et le contenu des
médias. Nous savions que la situation était déplorable mais
c’est horrible d’entendre les preuves de ces soupçons », a
déclaré Tamara Causidis, Présidente du SSNM.
« Le Premier ministre Nikola Gruevski, le ministre de
l’Intérieur Gordana Jankulovska ainsi que le chef des services
secrets Sasho Mijalkov doivent démissionner et peu importe qui
a ordonné la mise sur écoute, ils sont responsables. Leur
devoir était de prévenir une telle violation massive des
droits et des libertés constitutionnels des citoyens. Leur
démission devrait nous aider à éclaircir toute l’affaire « , a
ajouté Naser Selmani, Président de ZNM.
La situation de liberté de la presse s’est gravement
détériorée en Macédoine en raison de menaces croissantes et
des cas de harcèlement visant toutes les voix critiques envers
le gouvernement du Premier ministre Nikola Gruevski. En six
années, la Macédoine a chuté de la 34e (2009) à la 117e (2015)
dans l’indice mondiale de la liberté de presse publié par
Reporters sans frontières. L’affaire très controversée du
journaliste Kezarovski reste encore une grave préoccupation
pour la FEJ et la FIJ.
(Crédit Photo: Reporters sans Frontières)
Macédoine:
Tomislav
Kezarovski a été emprisonné
Mise à jour (16/11/2015): le journaliste macédonien Tomislav
Kezarovski a été emprisonné, ce vendredi soir.
La Fédération européenne des journalistes (FEJ) a exprimé
aujourd’hui (15/01/2015) sa profonde préoccupation après la
condamnation du journaliste macédonien Tomislav Kezarovski à
deux ans de prison par la Cour d’appel de Skopje.
Kezarovksi, un journaliste d’investigation qui a travaillé
pour le quotidien Nova Makedonija, a été placé en détention
puis en résidence surveillée depuis le 28 mai 2013 pour un
article qu’il a écrit en 2008 pour le magazine Reporter 92
dans lequel il aurait révélé l’identité d’un témoin protégé
dans une affaire d’assassinat.
La Cour d’appel a revu à la baisse la condamnation du Tribunal
de Première Instance faisant passer la peine de prison de 4,5
ans à 2 ans d’emprisonnement. Kezarovski était à ce jour
assigné à résidence surveillée en attendant le résultat de la
procédure juridiciaire. Aujourd’hui, il est censé retourner en
prison pendant plusieurs mois étant donné qu’il a déjà été
détenu depuis 19 mois.
La FEJ, ainsi que ses membres en Macédoine (FYROM),
l’Association des journalistes de Macédoine (AJM) et le
Syndicat des journalistes macédoniens et travailleurs des
médias (SSNM), appelle les autorités macédoniennes à libérer
immédiatement Tomislav Kezarovski.
« Tomislav Kezarovski a juste fait son travail. Il n’aurait
jamais dû été emprisonné sur base des accusations portées à
son égard. Cette nouvelle décision judiciaire est une
véritable honte pour le pays « , a déclaré le président de la
FEJ, Mogens Blicher Bjerregård. « Le verdict excessif
d’aujourd’hui envoie un message de censure à d’autres
journalistes dans le pays. Ailleurs en Europe, les
journalistes sont encourager à réaliser des enquêtes
d’investigation sur des questions d’intérêt public, ils ne
sont pas menacés d’emprisonnement. Nous allons signalé ce cas
comme étant une violation des droits des journalistes aux
organisations intergouvernementales traitant de la liberté des
médias « .
Photo: Nova Makedonija.
EU & Public service values in
the Western Balkans media
On 18/11/2014, a conference entitled « Media Integrity Matters
– Reclaiming public service values in the Western Balkans
media: How should the European Union Respond ? » has been
organized in Brussels by MEP Tanja Fajon. The event was a
follow-up to the publication of the book “Media integrity
matters » in June 2014, comprising the research conducted in
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and
Serbia. The study aims at addressing the obstacles to a
democratic development of media systems in the countries of
South East Europe/Western Balkans by pointing out corrupt
relations and practices in media policy, media ownership and
financing, public broadcasting and journalism as a profession.
The European Federation of Journalistes (EFJ) has been invited
to make a speech and share the views of its affiliates during
the conference.
During the conference at the European Parliament, MEP Tanja
Fajon focused her intervention on « how should the EU respond
so that fundamental rights for freedom of expression and
freedom of the media is respected in both EU and applicant
countries ». In the past, an European Parliament Intergroup on
media used discussed issues around media and journalism. There
is no longer such an Intergroup but the situation has not
improved also as a consequence of the economic crisis in 2008.
The European Parliament devotes today a lot of discussions
around media issues. The state of the media has tremendously
worsened since the crisis in 2008 and countries such as
Hungary or Greece are just the most quoted examples. The new
book Media Integrity Matters deals with South East European
countries.
Brankica Petkovic outlined the role and tasks of the South
East European Media Observatory (SEEMO) which is supported by
the European Union. Among other, it helps to distribute EU
awards to investigative journalists in acceding countries.
Not only media ownership matters ijn the region but a larger
system of corrupt relations with media, politics and economics
are also affecting the profession. Journalists are degraded
from public service operators. This issue must be addressed in
a systematic way, media and journalism must be put in the
center of public service, according to the authors. The
complete lack of media integrity is less a consequence of
lacking media regulation or policy but more of the lack of
will of economic and political actors. The public service
broadcasting (PSB) remains the media most exposed to political
interests. PSB management and funding was in the focus of the
recent research. There are laws about PSB but they are
designed to keep it as a hostage of governments. For example,
Serbian and Croatian public services are showing huge economic
losses.
Journalists became servants of businessmen and economically
reduced to precarious workers with salaries often lower than
the average salary in the countries. There are hundreds of
unemployed journalists in South East European countries and
the situation is being exploited by media managers.
Journalists are regularly threatened, accused and attacked.
There is not enough organised resistance from the part of the
journalists.
The answer to this dramatic situation must include coordinated
action of many actors with financial and political support of
the European Union. Jovanka Matic (Serbia) reminded that
recent changes in media law give some hope for change but many
problems remain the same. The strongest driving force of media
reform was process of access to EU. The EU should continue
that way but be coherent and not make trade offs with national
governments on other policies. Media freedoms very often are
sacrificed as being seen less important.
There are 8 different types of ownership patterns, according
to the study. But none of them proved to be successful.
Journalists and civil society ownership, of which there are
very few, however are the most suitable to fit in public
service role. These types of ownership should be helped with
financial supports. In this crisis situation such support
could help.
Snezana Trpevska (Macedonia) recalled that in beginning of the
90s media freedoms were broader under restrictive media
legislation.Once legislation was fully harmonised with EU
standards, both media and journalism became more dominated by
other interests. Supposedly independent regulators became
increasingly dependent on government. We are now watching to
the fall of the concept of public interest.
Some positive trends have also been mentioned : associations
and unions have been increasingly active in recent years and
they have coordinated with NGO media sector.
Sandra B. Hrvatin tried to give an answer to the question why
media policy failed to protect media integrity. According to
her, the European Parliament should and must be a guardian of
fundamental rights. « You cannot escape this role! », she
said. Corruption is also a global problem, the crisis in
journalism is in fact the crisis in existing media models.
Europe is not doing its job in this field. Tanja Fajon (Member
of the European Parliament) got the message and has clearly
indicated that she would pass it on.
During the panel discussion, a representative of Circom
(European association of regional televisions) stressed the
importance of public service broadcasters for the
democratisation in the countries. A. Kesteris from the
European Commission, DG Enlargement, reminded that the
European Commission has financed this project « which reflects
the EU’s far reaching intentions ». He also referred to media
guidelines to be implemented in the coming period. He agrees
with all the conclusions and understands the question of trade
offs, but he wants to reassure that such trade offs are not an
EU policy.
Renate Schroeder from the European Federation of Journalists
(EFJ) congratulated the authors of the book to this
appreciated project and thanked MEP Tanja Fajon for the
invitation to the conference. She referred to the importance
of labour rights. Schroeder stressed that without labour
rights protection there is no media integrity. Factor of fear
is a dominating challenge in this region. Three promising
union leaders recently lost their jobs because they were
trying to defend labour rights. She appreciated the guidelines
by the European Commission and looked forward to working with
them in the coming five years period. The European Union (EU)
needs to be more courageous especially when it comes to the
question of journalists in detention or affected by any sort
of violence. The panel agreed with the importance of labour
rights issues also in creating media integrity.
The lack of labour rights and increase of precarious
journalist’ work forces is a global challenge and dilemma.
« This is the way journalists are being destroyed », said a
participant.
Labour rights and unions must be sustained
because today there is too much attention on the legal
framework. The EU needs to support more journalism,
independent media production instead of focussing only on
reforms « good on paper ».
Macedonia:
where
investigative
journalism
leads directly to jail
It is essential that international organizations not only have
press freedom as key issues, but also pursues effectively the
abuses that are taking place and put pressure on the
authorities to correct those attacks on press freedom, writes
Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard, President of the Danish Union of
Journalists and EFJ President.
By Mogens Blicher Bjerrregård
I’m just back from Macedonia where I had the opportunity to
visit a journalist whose life is in ruins because he does not
want to disclose his sources. The European Federation of
Journalists sent a letter to the Macedonian Ambassador to the
European Union. Similar letters have been sent to the
ambassadors across Europe in the hope that the journalist will
not go back to jail for the next four and a half years. The
final decision of the Appeal Court is about to fall next
Friday.
On the ground, we were heading to the outskirts of Skopje in
Macedonia in a small car trying to find our way in this
typical neighborhood where streets and small houses look all
the same that even the local reporters and trade unionists had
trouble finding the way around. After a couple of phone calls,
we have find the way to reach the specific little house with a
terrace facing the road bounded by a wall. We are received by
the local journalist Tomislav Kezarovski who according to the
Macedonian police is apparently regarded as a dangerous
individual.
The thirty-six Macedonian special forces agents had certainly
no trouble finding the same house when they decided to arrest
him a half year ago. The policemen stormed into the streets
early morning, blocked the whole neighborhood, kicked down the
door to the little family that scarely saw the father
journalist being led away with handcuffs. The marks in the
door still sits today as a witness of this dark day. This is
the way the journalist recalls about the experience that
followed the publication five years ago of his investigative
articles revealing that a protected witness had made a false
declaration in a murder case.
The crime of the journalist was to give the first name of this
witness apparently considered as a crime but the prosecutor
also calls for him to release the names of his own sources
because not revealing his sources is also considered as a
crime. He insisted, of course, on the protection of sources.
A variety of international organizations support the
« Kezarovski case » and call the local authorities to put an
end to all prosecutions. Therefore, we are all also highly
concerned about what happens to our colleague Kezarovski
because we are also interested in the reasons that lies behind
the decisions and actions of the Macedonian police and
judiciary authorities.
Tomislav Kezarovski was initially sentenced to 4,5 years of
jail and his case is on the agenda of the Court of Appeal on
24 October. He already spent nearly half a year in a cell of 8
square meters with three other prisoners, a cell with a little
window and dirty toilet. With a trembling voice, he explained
me about his detention conditions before he was able to spend
the last five months at home under house arrest.
On October 24, it will be decided whether he will return to
prison or if he can go out of the court room as a free man.
Either way, his life will never the same. He will need to find
a new job as journalist in Macedonia where the sector has
suffered a serious loss. Since his arrest, his wife has
difficulties finding a job as soon as she informs the
potential employer about her surname Kezarovski.
Tomislav Kezarovski said to me that he only carried out the
work that any journalist would have done, he has done nothing
wrong and he now hopes for justice. He thinks that the
investigative journalism should not suffer because of his
case, but on the contrary should be strengthen. Fear is rising
on his face as the deadline of 24 October is approaching.
I have expressed hope for him and promised that European
Federation of Journalists will spread the messages throughout
Europe. But it is with concern that I went away leaving with
the image of a family jammed in deep trouble because of
investigative journalism.
The suppression of investigative journalism, as this matter is
obviously happening in Macedonia, is a great danger for
democratic development. Therefore, it is essential that
international organizations like the European Union, the
Council of Europe and UNESCO not only have press freedom as
key issue, but also pursues effectively the abuses that are
taking place and put pressure on the authorities to correct
those attacks on press freedom. Right now, we need more than
one finger pointing to Macedonia.
Skopje
Media
Conference
Publishes Conclusions
International Conference in
Skopje (Photo : MK / EFJ)
Journalists unions from across the former Soviet Union and
South East Europe gathered to debate the status of journalism,
union organising and violations and safety of journalists
rights across the region.
The meeting was the third joint IFJ / EFJ meeting in the
region to build greater collaboration and support for
journalists unions across Europe. Discussions focused on
labour rights, new forms of organising and recruitment, union
campaigning, legal defense and new digital tools.
The meeting started by recalling the many hundreds of
journalists that have suffered violence and persecution for
their work since the 2013 conference in Kiev and held a minute
silence for the journalists that have lost their lives in the
conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
A solidarity evening attended by up to 100 journalists, was
held in support of Tomislav Kezarovski, Macedonian journalist
under house arrest since 2013. Earlier in the day a small
delegation visited Kezarovski to discuss how we can support
him in his appeal due 24 October.
The conference agreed statements on the following:
– Journalists Unions Condemn Workplace Intimidation of union
members
– Journalists Unions Back Macedonian campaign to free
Kezarovski and initiate Urgent media reforms
– Journalists Unions Call for Release of Detained Ukrainian
journalists
•
A final set of Action Points were agreed
The meeting would like to thank the Trade Union of Macedonian
Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) and the Association of
Journalists of Macedonia (AJM), our host affiliates, and the
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and LOTCO for their assistance in
supporting the programme.
EFJ Calls for All Charges
Against Journalist Tomislav
Kezarovski to be Dropped
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has called for
authorities in Macedonia to drop all charges against the
journalist Tomislav Kezarovski – who has now been held under
house arrest for over a year.
In 2013, Kezarovski was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison by a
tribunal in Skopje for writing investigative articles for the
magazine Reporter 92. He is currently under house arrest,
unemployed and living in very difficult conditions.
The EFJ has sent a letter to Andrej Lepavcov, the Ambassador
of the Republic of Macedonia to the European Union, calling
for Macedonian authorities to bring an end to all the “absurd”
judicial prosecutions against Kezarovski, stating that he is
being unfairly punished for revealing the identity of a police
source and protecting his journalist sources.
Read the EFJ letter in full HERE
The EFJ has also developed a short video showing international
solidarity with our colleague Tomislav Kezarovski which you
can watch below: