The Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety, which represents more than 8,000 members, strongly condemns the threats and insults towards journalists Meri Jordanovska, editor at A1on.mk and Iskra Koroveshovska editor at TV Alfa sent by Emil Jakimovski.
The two female journalists received threatening messages via internet by Jakimovski last week and this was reported to the police. According to messages published by Jordanovska, he threatened her to “create a funereal for her” called her “Sorospija” and used other gender discrimination speech towards her. As stated by Koroveshovska, similar threats and insults were sent to her as well.
The President of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia, Mladen Chadikovski condemned these threats and urged the authorities to investigate the case. “We communicated with the Ministry of Interior and they promised to clear these threats against the two journalists. I urge the Public Prosecution to play an active role in rapidly investigating these threats in order to prevent similar cases in the future,” Chadikovski said.
“The fact that concerns in both cases is that these threats contain elements of gender discrimination” said Chadikovski and added that such pressure on women journalists is a serious obstacle to freedom of expression, media freedom and the right of citizens to be informed.
The Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety supports AJM in its efforts to protect journalists and freedom of speech and condemns the threats and insults on the two journalists. We call upon the relevant institutions to react adequately and to clearly condemn threats of Jordanovska and Koroveshovska. The Platform will send letters of concern to all relevant authorities in North Macedonia, requesting them to urgently and thoroughly investigate all facts about these cases and start acting accordingly.
Attacking and threatening journalists is a direct attack on freedom of expression and the right of citizens to be informed.
Skopje – Belgrade – Podgorica – Prishtina – Sarajevo – Zagreb, 14.01.2020.
BH Journalists Association
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
Independent Journalists Association of Serbia