SKOPJE, 29.05.2018 – The Ministry of Interior has prepared a report, which determines the level of investigations for attacks against journalists. According to the Report, in the period from the beginning of the year 2013 to June 2017, 47 reports from citizens or media were submitted to the Ministry of Interior for physical attacks on journalists.
Most of the attacks were registered in Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia. The Ministry pointed out that some of the cases identified serious shortcomings in the investigation.
Regarding the attacks, criminal charges were pressed against five perpetrators, who committed a total of five criminal charges, out of which three were physical attacks, one evasion and one case of extortion. In five cases, misdemeanor procedures have been initiated.
The government says that, according to their promises, they are determined to face the problem of violence and threats to journalists. They invite all other relevant institutions to take action regarding these cases.
The Minister without portfolio responsible for communications, accountability and transparency, Robert Popovski, pointed out that this Government will have zero tolerance for any attempt to violate freedom of expression. As he said, any attack on media representatives, either physical or verbal, will be severely sanctioned.