ZAGREB, 01.11.2016. – Journalist associations from the Western Balkans are demanding an effective investigation of the attempted murder of Sasa Lekovic, president of the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND).

They expressed their expectation that the initiated investigation would determine the circumstances regarding the damaged Lekovic’s car urgently.

Journalists’ associations from the Western Balkans are pointing out that this case is only the culmination of almost daily threats, insults and pressure on Sasa Lekovic, which followed his election as president of the CJA in 2015.

It is extremely important that the state recognizes threats against journalists as a direct threat to freedom of speech and democracy, and we demand that all previous attacks on Lekovic and other journalists are processed efficiently and with appropriate seriousness.

Journalist associations from the region of the Western Balkans expressed full solidarity with colleague Lekovic and warn the Croatian Government that only with effective investigation and punishment of the perpetrators in this case they can demonstrate their democratic nature and real commitment to European values, in which freedom of expression and security of journalists are fundamental human rights .

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia
Association BH Journalists
Croatian Journalists’ Association
The Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Trade Union of Media Montenegro
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia

СКОПЈЕ, 01.11.2016 Очекуваме покренатата истрага по итна постапка дека ќе ги утврди околностите во врска со оштетувањето на автомобилот на Лековиќ.

Новинарските здруженија од регионот на Западен Балкан предупредуваат дека овој случај е само кулминација на готово секојдневните закани, навреди и притисоци на Сашо Лековиќ кои следат по неговиот избор за претседател на Хрватското здружение на новинарите во 2015 година. Многу е важно Хрватска да ги препознае заканите на новинарите како директни закани врз слободата на говорот и демократијата, и бараме сите досегашни напади врз Лековиќ и другите новинари да бидат процесуирани ефикасно и со соодветна сериозност.

Новинарските здруженија од регионот на Западен Балкан изразуваат солидарност со колегата Лековиќ и ја предупредуваат Владата на Република Хрватска дека само со ефикасна истрага и со казнување на сторителите во овој случај може и практично да се покаже демократичноста и реалната посветеност на европските вредности, во кои слободата на изразување и сигурноста на новинарите претставуваат основни човекови права.

Здружение на новинарите на Македонија

Здружение  на новинарите на Босна и Херцеговина

Здружение  на новинарите на Хрватска

Здружение на новинарите на Косово

Синдикат на медиуми на Црна Гора

Независно здружение на новинарите на Србија

01.11.2016 година

SKOPJE 31.10.2016 The Association of Journalists of Macedonia strongly condemns the misconduct of Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Pesevski, which last week after a press conference where he was presenting a report of “Doing Business” for Macedonia, insulted a journalist from the daily newspaper Vest because she asked whether the government is considering to increase the age limit of 67 years for retirement.

Pesevski irritated by the insistence of the journalist to get a precise answer about the government’s intention to increase the age limit for retirement and turned to the journalist with a counter question: “Are you able to say yes or no if I ask you whether your parents know that you are a prostitute?”

Pesevski shows that he has no basic domestic education and political culture, which borders with bullying and primitivism. This attack is not only directed toward a professional journalist, which main task is to ask unpleasant questions to politicians, but it is an attack on media freedom.

Such attacks aim to belittle and intimidate journalists not to request a report of the work of public officials and to kill the sense of the role of journalism in a democratic society.

We are disappointed by the behavior of our colleagues who were present at the event and did not react to the insults of Pesevski. We appeal in the future in similar situations journalists jointly react and show greater solidarity.

Utterly hypocritical for politicians is to ask the media to report professionaly of the election campaign while also physically attacking and insulting journalists without incurring any liability.

We ask Vice Premier Pesevski who last year in broad daylight attacked a journalist to publicly apologize to the journalist but also to take political liability. Also either he should resign or Prime Minister Emil Dimitiriev has to dismiss him. We remind Dimitirev that for similar harm to a journalist serbian prime minister sacked the defense minister.

At the same time we call on VMRO-DPMNE to disassociate itself from the behavior of their minister and member of the party leadership and ask them not to submit his candidacy for MP in the next election. Otherwise, we will consider that VMRO-DPMNE justifies and allows violence and inappropriate behavior towards journalists.

31.10.2016, Skopje

Association of Journalists of Macedonia

ZAGREB, 28.10.2016. – Predsjedniku Hrvatskog novinarskog društva Saši Lekoviću na autoputu Bregana – Lipovac otkazao je automobil. Pregledom automobila ustanovljeno je da je nepoznati počinitelj sabotirao automobil – na prednjem desnom kotaču prepilio je dva vijka, ne bi li tijekom vožnje oni pukli i prouzročili kobnu nesreću za Lekovića i druge osobe.

Leković je automobil uspio zaustaviti u zaustavnoj traci autoceste nakon čega ga je odvukao kod mehaničara koji je utvrdio što je uzrokovalo nezgodu. Informaciju o sabotaži Leković je objavio na svom Facebook profilu, koju prenosimo u cijelosti:

“Znate da sam ja dosadan tip koji na FB-u postavlja samo postove u vezi sa novinarstvom i medijima te ponekad neku mjuzu. No, ovo je zanimljivo i mislim da je zaslužilo da bude objavljeno. Just in case. Danas poslije podne nasred autoputa auto mi je „poludio“. Počeo se tresti a potom krivudati.

Uspio sam ga zaustaviti u zaustavnoj traci i shvatio da mi je prednji desni kotač iskrivljen i prednja plastična „maska“ izvaljena iz ležišta. Kako je auto star prva misao bila je da je to uzrok. No, kako imam odličnog auto mehaničara koji mi „radi“ aute već gotovo 25 godina a auto je bio na tehničkom i registraciji prije dvadesetak dana ništa mi zapravo nije bilo jasno.

Odšlepali su me do prvog ozbiljnog auto mehaničara koji je auto preuzeo, obećao da će ga pregledati i ustanoviti uzrok kvara što je prije moguće. Čovjek me nakon nekog vremena obavijestio kako je ustanovio da su dva zavrtnja/šarafa na desnom prednjem kotaču prepiljena do pola i da je nakon 300 kilometara vožnje to uzrokovalo pucanje. (Naime, pokupio sam zavrtnje/šarafe, tj. njihove ostatke, na mjestu nezgode i ponio ih sa sobom).

Nije prvi puta da se netko „igra“ zavrtnjima/šarafima na kotačima mojega auta. Jednom su ih samo odšarafili napola, ali je auto bio relativno nov pa sam brzo shvatio da nešto nije u redu. Ovaj stari ionako stalno „drnda“ pa ne primijetim odmah promjenu.

To je inače jedna od češćih metoda „opstrukcije“. S obzirom da današnji dan mogu računati kao „rezervni“ rođendan evo i „rođendanske“pjesme „majstorima…”

Podsjetimo da je Saša Leković izložen stalnim prijetnjama već godinu i pol dana, otkako je postao predsjednik Hrvatskog novinarskog društva. Posljednji puta Leković je bio spomenut i u pismu kojeg je prije desetak dana zaprimila Sandra Bartolović, novinarka Forum.tm, na kojemu je stajao potpis ‘Ustaške zmije’. Nekoliko dana prije toga, Leković je bio spomenut i u prijetećem pismu kojeg je primila ravnateljica Hine Branka Gabrijela Valentić, koje je bilo potpisano sa ‘Jedan HOS-ovac’.

ZAGREB 21.10.2016 – Branka Gabriela Valentić, director of Hina News Agency, received threatening letter full of disgusting offences regarding herself and Saša Leković, CJA president. Letter was signed by One HOS (Croatian Defense Forces) member and salute Za dom spremni (Ustasha’s salute).

Branka Valentić reported it to the police and said for Fairpress it was the first threat she received. “There have been offences and pressures, but not threats. This is the first of the kind. It was sent to Hina and I reported it to the police. I do not think of myself as a coward, but it is not the most pleasant experience to receive the message that someone, unknown, will molest your mother and you will receive the bill. I might assume it has something to do with a person who was fired and that was direct trigger for this letter. It might be someone close to her. I have no idea who he/she was and I do not want to assume anything. But I do not feel safe. That being a threat, I will report it to the State Attorney today too“.

Saša Leković, CJA president, is mentioned in the letter also. He was referred to as chetnik. „I have been under direct or indirect threats and offences, published on social media or in articles in so called „sewage“ media and comments under there articles, since I have been elected CJA president. It has not stopped for 18 months now. All these hysterical scenes are full of hate and with no relevant fact that might explain, if not justify them. The only difference between them is that some are more correctly spelled then others“, said Leković for Fairpress

Source: CJA, Fairpress

PODGORICA, 18.10.2016. – Trade Union of Media of Montenegro strongly condemns the threats that Bozidar Martinovic, from Tivat, convicted for drug trafficking, sent to correspondent of daily newspaper „Vijesti“ from Tivat Sinisa Lukovic, just because the journalist published details of the incident that occurred on election day, in which the main actor was Martinovic.
A particular problem is that Martinovic was dare to send threats from the door of the Lukovic family house, in the presence of his family, which is why they are much more serious because he violated fundamental privacy and security but also sent a direct message to a journalist that he had to “shut up”.

Without wishing to interfere in the work of investigative bodies, Trade Union of Media of Montenegro expresses its disappointment by the fact that the Deputy Basic State Prosecutor in Kotor Tanja Čolan-Deretić rated that there were no elements of a criminal offense, but it is only the misdemeanor and that the Prosecutor’s Office still does not recognize the specificity the journalistic profession. Although we are not called upon to interpret the legal norms, we believe that the prosecutor had to more seriously understand these threats and qualify them even as a threat to security.

Prosecutors know well how cases of attacks on journalists they managed to bring to the end in last years, which is why they should be significantly more sensitive when making similar decisions. Therefore, we urge the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office to review once again the decision of the Deputy Basic State Prosecutor Colan-Deretic.
TMUM gives full support to colleague Lukovic in protecting his personal security and in the continuation of his professional work in the public interest.

TMUM, at the same time, joins to the protest of non-governmental organizations because of the decisions of the authorities that, on election day, shut down popular services, Viber and WhatsApp, because of propaganda communication, or unwanted (spam) political messages sent to users. We believe that this decision is contrary to the fundamental right to freedom of expression and information.
Main board TMUM