The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns today’s tabloid reporting on the deceased person whose body was found in the Danube.
Guessing about the identity of the deceased, and especially publishing photos and videos from the scene, is ethically inadmissible in professional journalistic work. It is also the most serious violation of the Code of Journalists of Serbia.
We remind all journalists and newsrooms that, according to the Code of Journalists of Serbia, a journalist is obliged to respect the privacy, dignity and integrity of the people he/she writes about.
When reporting on accidents and crimes, it is not allowed to publish the names and photos of victims and perpetrators that clearly identify them. Also, it is not allowed to publish any data that could indirectly reveal the identity of either the victim or the perpetrator, before the competent authority officially announces it – it is stated in the Code of Journalists of Serbia.
Furthermore, journalists and editors in particular should avoid speculation and the transmission of insufficiently verifiable views in reporting on accidents and tragedies in which there are casualties or severely affected material and other interests of citizens.
Finally, when reporting on events that include personal pain and shock, the journalist is obliged to adjust his/her questions to reflect the spirit of compassion and discretion.
We invite journalists and editors to report on these and similar events ethically, in accordance with professional standards.
We also call on the editorial offices that published disturbing photos and recordings to remove them, as well as to adapt the texts to professional standards, because human dignity is more important than profit.
PODGORICA, May 19, 2022 – The European Commission praised the amendments to the Criminal Code in order to better criminal-legal protection of media workers, it was stated in the informal document of the European Commission on the situation in Chapters 23 and 24 for Montenegro.
The Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG) has been advocating for amendments to the Criminal Code since its establishment in 2013, and last year, together with the NGO Action for Human Rights, launched a joint initiative with seven other NGOs towards the new authorities. The amendments were unanimously adopted by Parliament late last year.
Amendments to the Criminal Code (CC) prescribe qualified forms of criminal offenses such as “Endangering Security”, “Aggravated Murder”, “Serious Bodily Injury” and “Coercion”, when committed against a person who performs public information work, in connection with performing that work.
A job of public importance is considered to be the performance of a profession or duty that is associated with an increased risk to the safety of persons performing it in the field of public information, health care and legal aid before judicial and other state bodies.
The European Commission recalls that old cases of attacks on journalists have not been solved, such as the murder of “Dana” editor Dusko Jovanovic and the attempted murder of journalist Olivera Lakic.
They remind that the Government adopted the first report of the new Commission for Monitoring Attacks on Journalists, which concluded that the police is more efficient than the prosecution in resolving reported cases of violence against journalists.
The document states that professional journalists’ organizations continue to report overall poor working conditions, including low wages, unpaid overtime, security risks and various forms of pressure and undue influence on their work, both by media owners and third parties.
It is stated that the Public Service of Radio Television of Montenegro (RTCG), since the election of the new council and management, has introduced more pluralism in editorial policy, but that more efforts are needed to ensure that RTCG complies with the highest standards of independence and professionalism.
021.rs portal journalist Dragana Prica Kovacevic and interested citizens who wanted to follow yesterday’s trial of “Let’s Defend the Forests of Fruska Gora” activist Dragana Arsic on the lawsuit of “Galens” co-owner Sanja Petric, were removed from the courtroom and legitimized.
After the legal representative of the co-owner of Galens, Sanja Petric, lawyer Nemanja Aleksic, said that someone had photographed his client in the courtroom, the trial was closed to the public, and soon after that it was postponed.
021.rs portal journalist Dragana Prica Kovacevic says that it has never happened before that journalists are thrown out of the court building and legitimized.
“Also, the big problem is that after writing to the court, we received an answer where they completely ignored the fact that we were removed from the court building. They just said that we were not allowed into the courtroom because there was no room, while they did not answer the questions about why we were removed and legitimized, “the journalist states.
This is not the first time, she adds, that they are trying to ban journalists from entering the trials of activists with Galen.
“In general, the problem with this trial, which has been happening for some time, is that they are trying to exclude the public and constantly complicate our entry, which leads us to suspect that some have greater rights than others. Otherwise, something like that does not happen and that is why this is a specific case “, says Dragana Prica Kovacevic.
The co-owners of “Galens” have filed several lawsuits against the activist of the Movement “Let’s Defend the Forests of Fruska Gora”, Dragana Arsic, the said movement and the citizens’ association “Fruskac”. The trials in these cases are of special interest to the public because, according to the defense attorneys, they represent classic SLAPP lawsuits, ie. strategic lawsuits against public participation. These lawsuits are in fact filed with the aim of intimidating, burdening, punishing or harassing the defendant for public speaking against the plaintiff, whose subject matter is of general interest.
The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) considers this procedure of the court to be worrying and calls on the courts to enable the presence of the public in cases when it is not excluded for legal reasons. Courts must ensure the smooth work of journalists in accordance with the law, because only in this way can good information be provided to the public on the one hand, and transparency of the work of courts on the other.
PODGORICA, May 16, 2022 – Judging by the recently published index of media freedom, the Montenegrin media community has a reason for optimism. Out of 180 countries ranked in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, Montenegro ranked 63rd and moved to the top of the table for the first time.
Although this information is encouraging, Montenegro still owes the greatest gratitude for the change in the methodology of compiling the index.
“In light of this new methodology, care should be taken when comparing the 2022 rankings and scores with those from 2021” the Reporters Without Borders report said.
If we consider the global movements of media freedom, and that the report emphasizes the increase in polarization, which no one in Montenegro disputes anymore, it seems that there is not much reason to celebrate.
“The 20th World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reveals a two-fold increase in polarisation amplified by information chaos – that is, media polarisation fuelling divisions within countries, as well as polarisation between countries at the international level. The 2022 edition of the World Press Freedom Index, which assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories, highlights the disastrous effects of news and information chaos – the effects of a globalised and unregulated online information space that encourages fake news and propaganda.”
When it comes to Montenegro, Reporters Without Borders states that the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression, but that the freedom of the media is still endangered by political pressures, impunity for attacks on journalists, and economic pressures.
“Despite having undergone several changes in recent years, the legal framework preserves gaps in terms of free access to public information and protection of the confidentiality of journalistic sources, which leads to media’s independence being insufficiently protected against political and economic influences. The same is true for the RTCG which is not spared of political pressures despite the adoption of a new legal framework in 2020”, the report states.
They note that almost all attacks on journalists from last year have been solved, but that previous cases, such as the murder of “Dan” editor Dusko Jovanovic and the attempted murder of journalist Olivera Lakic, still do not have their epilogue.
“The government that came to power in 2020 promised to deliver progress in resolving past cases, but it has done little in this regard. The journalist Jovo Martinovic was condemned to a one year prison sentence despite a lack of evidence” the report states.
Freedom of expression and media freedom in Montenegro were recently addressed by Freedom House, as part of a global report on freedom, in which Montenegro was assessed as “partially free” with an index of 67 on a scale of up to 100.
“A variety of independent media operate in Montenegro, and media coverage continues to be partisan and combative on certain issues. Unlike the DPS government, the Krivokapić government has not sought to pressure reporters, nor does it exercise control of the public broadcaster, Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG). In June 2021, Parliament appointed a new RTCG Council, which in August appointed a new director. Following these changes, the RTCG began to feature more balanced editorial policy and more inclusive and diverse political content.”
However, the report also states that structural problems remain unresolved because journalists who cover corruption and organized crime continue to be the target of attacks.
A similar was stated by the U.S. Department of State in a report for last year, noting that progress has been registered in terms of less processing of persons due to comments on social networks.
“While independent media were active and generally expressed a wide variety of political and social views, media regulators faced increasing demands during the year that they curtail the rebroadcast of material from Serbia inciting hatred and intolerance.”
Reflections on Media Freedom and Safety of Journalists in Albania Based on the Safe Journalists Report 2021: Indicators on the Level of Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety in Albania 2021
Safe Journalists Network in Albania in cooperation with the Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) organized a roundtable to reflect on the fingings of the Report Indicators on the Level of Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety in Albania 2021. The event was organized in Tirana with stakeholders from the media and civil society to discuss the findings of the Safe Journalists Report, reflect on the media freedom and safety of journalists in Albania and share experiences with colleagues from the Associations of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK).
Blerjana Bino, Researcher of the Safe Journalists Network and author of the report, presented the key findings of the Report Indicators on the Level of Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety in Albania 2021. She highlighted that even though the Constitution of Albania guarantees the media freedom as well as freedom of expression and information, such provisions are not thoroughly implemented in practice and in 2021 a continuation of the signs of deterioration of freedom of expression and media freedom is observed in Albania. The predominant structural challenge of the media ecosystem that negatively impacts freedom of expression and media freedom in Albania is the intertwined symbiotic relation among powerful economic and political interests in media system, including in some cases organized crime influences. The practice of using media outlets for blackmailing risks becoming normalised in Albania and considering that corruption is widespread, there is little expectations that such cases will be reported and investigated. Albania has a crowded media environment in terms of numbers of outlets, but a limited advertising market and media ownership concentration to a few media owner / families who use media as an instrument for political and economic influence.
Kristina Voko, Executive Director of BIRN Albania and Media Expert of the Safe Journalists Network Report for Albania focused on the threats to freedom of information and access to information for journalists and particularly the risks of SLAPPs as intimidation instruments for journalists. Ms. Getoarbë Mulliqi, Executive Director, Association of Journalists of Kosovo, presented the key findings of the Report Indicators on the Level of Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety in Kosovo 2021 and Mr. Xhemajl Rexha, Chairman of Association of Journalists of Kosovo, underlined the current position of the Associations of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK), current practices and provided concrete recommendations to peers from Albania on how to consolidate collective action of journalists, associations and establishment of potential unions or new journalists associations. Mr. Koloreto Cukalli, Head of the Albanian Media Council reflected about the current media consumption attitudes of citizens and how the digitalization has changed not only media but also audiences. In addition, he proposed some recommendations on how to systematically address the key concerns of media freedom in Albania such legal changes for increased media ownership transparency and conflict of interests.
Ms. Valbona Sulçe, Media Expert, shared her experience with efforts to set up network of women journalists in Albania and why these initiatives have not been successful. She argued that the precarious working conditions of journalists, particularly women, make it hard for them to self-organise and sustain networks. Ms. Ada Heqimi, Media Coordinator, UK Embassy, shared her previous experience of coordinating a group of young journalists and setting up a Safety Protocol for Journalists as a tool much needed in case of freedom and safety violations. The event was enriched by the inputs of other media experts such as Emiljano Kaziaj from IREX Albania highlighting media literacy programmes and Dorentina Hysi from Albanian Media Institute arguing that media content and its quality are also key aspects of the ecosystem. In addition, Orkidea Xhaferaj, Digital Rights Advocate, underlined digital safety of journalists and how violations of digital rights affect freedom of expression.
SARAJEVO/ BANJA LUKA, May 11, 2022 – The Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association and the Free Media Help Line strongly condemn the death threats against Srdjan Puhalo, a blogger and activist from Banja Luka, and call on the police authorities of the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska to urgently investigate this case and sanction the persons behind the threats.
Incitement, calling to violence and “beating”, offensive and discriminatory language, defamatory statements, seeking bans on Puhalo coming to Sarajevo, etc., are part of the orchestrated chase on Srdjan Puhalo, which followed after he published an author’s comment on Analiziraj.ba portal on topics of media headlines and statements by officials about the number of children killed in besieged Sarajevo. Puhalo called on NGO’s, state and international organizations, media outlets and individuals to investigate and publish the exact number of children – victims of the siege of Sarajevo, emphasizing that it is unacceptable to manipulate the number of victims for political purposes.
The Steering Committee of BH Journalists considers verbal violence against Srdjan Puhalo and his right to freedom of expression unacceptable, and stresses that death threats and threats to safety must not be a motive or response to disagreement with the author’s views and his attempt to open a public debate on painful topics. Srdjan Puhalo is known to the public as an author who brutally problematizes the issue of the war past, wanting to bring into public communication respect for every murdered person and condemnation of crimes, but also pointing the finger at all those who use war victims for political manipulation or nationalist narratives.
The Steering Committee of BH Journalists considers inadmissible the inciting actions of certain media outlets from Sarajevo that by directly transmitting hateful comments and other posts from social networks about colleague Puhalo do not contribute to the deconstruction of hate speech and violence against individuals as a crime, but create a platform for multiplying violence and creating an interethnic gap between the author and the families of the victims.
BH Journalists once again call on the media to return to the code of journalistic ethics and professional principles of truthful, comprehensive and objective reporting on the war, and the police and judicial authorities to investigate this case and sanction spreaders of hatred and all those who endanger the personal and professional rights of Srdjan Puhalo.
IPI and other media freedom and journalists’ organisations today wrote to Besnik Dervishi, Commissioner for the Right to Access to Information and Personal Data Protection in Albania, to request thorough investigations into recent cases of suspicious data breaches involving journalists writing about a former prosecutor.
————————————-
09/05/2022
Sent electronically
Dear Mr. Besnik Dervishi, Commissioner for the Right to Access to Information and Personal Data Protection,
The undersigned media freedom and journalists’ organisations are writing to express our serious concern over the recent private data breaches and intimidation of at least two journalists in Albania linked to their reporting on the high-profile vetting process of the now dismissed Head of Tirana Prosecution Office, Elizabeta Imeraj.
Our organisations urge your office to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the breach of personal data – which was then used to frighten and pressure one of the journalists – and for those involved to answer questions about their role in what appears to be coordinated intimidation of the press.
In late March and early April 2022, Albanian journalist Isa Myzyraj of Ora News faced intimidation from multiple individuals who demanded he stop commenting and reporting on the appeals process for the vetting of Imeraj, which was being carried out as part of a judicial reform project in Albania aimed at rooting out corrupt judges and prosecutors.
The pressure started after Myzyraj posted on social media that some of the online media with non-transparent ownership that had been publishing smear pieces attacking members of the International Monitoring Operation (IMO) – a constitutionally mandated body made up foreign judges and prosecutors which was supervising the vetting process – had links to Imeraj.
One of Myzyraj’s family members was approached by an individual with a deal for the journalist to stop covering the prosecutor. This was followed by a threatening phone call by another individual who said there would be consequences for him and his family if he continued. As the vetting continued, Myzyraj was then sent a message by another individual which contained a screenshot of the certificate of his family from the Civil Registry – a document only available to registered notaries in Albania. The messages contained threats against the journalist and were clearly aimed at intimidating him.
In late April, Edmond Hoxhaj, a journalist at the BIRN Network Albania and Reporter.al who had also been covering the vetting process, discovered a similar suspicious breach of his personal data on the e-Albania portal. Hoxhaj could see that a notary named Agron Bajri, who is the former husband of Elizabeta Imeraj, had generated their family certificate on April 14, 2022, without their authorisation.
In the case of Mr. Hoxhaj, there appears to be clear evidence that the notary, Mr. Bajri, accessed their data without the family’s permission. As Commissioner for the Right to Access to Information and Personal Data Protection, we urge you to firmly establish the facts about this case. The MFRR partners will also write to Agron Bajri with a request to clarify his role in accessing the family certificates of both Mr. Myzyraj and Mr. Hoxhaj without their authorisation. We also welcome the investigation opened by the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office.
At the wider level, our organisations suspect these two cases are linked and are part of the same campaign of harassment against members of the IMO. Pressure and intimidation of journalists reporting on the vetting process of a prosecutor – a clear matter of public interest – are unacceptable and were clearly aimed at frustrating transparency and reporting the much-needed implementation of justice reform. These cases also point to a wider issue of threats to the safety of journalists who investigate the nexus between state authorities and corruption.
Effective investigations and definitive answers on these two cases are needed. Our organisations will follow your investigation closely in the coming weeks and look forward to seeing thorough findings. We will also continue to closely monitor the wider challenges facing media freedom and threats to independent, watchdog journalism in Albania, which plummeted in 2022 to 103rd rank – the last in the Balkans – in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index.
Signed:
ARTICLE 19 Europe
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
International Press Institute (IPI)
OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Safe Journalists Network
This letter was sent to Mr. Besnik Dervishi on 9 May 2022.
This letter was coordinated by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.
The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) presented the Annual Report on the Indicators on the level of media freedom and journalists’ safety in North Macedonia for 2021, prepared within the project Regional Platform for the Western Balkans, funded by the European Commission.
Associations of journalists from the Western Balkans, with the support of the European Commission, have set up a joint platform Safejournalists.net to monitor changes in their countries’ legislation and practice and to engage in various advocacy activities aimed at promoting political, legislative and the institutional environment in which journalists and the media operate. Since 2020, the members of the platform monitor the situation in seven countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia). Each year, the assessment of the situation is based on standardized methods of data collection and analysis, while the focus of advocacy research is on changes in both, the traditional and online media environment in the Western Balkans. The research methodology consists of three sets of indicators developed based on a systematic analysis of various guidelines produced by relevant international organizations.
In the context of legal protection 2021, the Report states that a positive step was taken as the amendments to the Law on Civil Liability for Insult and Defamation and the Criminal Code were made. Almost all of AJM’s remarks on reducing the amount of compensation for non-pecuniary damage in the event of a journalist’s guilt and supplementing the parts for exclusion from liability for defamation and insult were accepted.
The amendments to the Criminal Code, initiated by AJM and the Journalists’ Union, incorporated the requirements for systematic protection of journalists and media workers, and the attack on a journalist and media worker would be treated as an attack on an official, which means that the BPPO will act ex officio, and penalties for assailants will be increased. The general assessment is that in 2021, the socio-economic position of journalists further deteriorated due to the pandemic, i.e., due to the reduction of advertising revenues in the entire media sector.
The employment status of many journalists, especially in the private media, is precarious, as journalists generally have fixed-term or part-time contracts, are not receiving pension and social security benefits, have low incomes, and other labour rights are not respected. As a result, journalists are much more vulnerable to pressure, both from management structures and from owners and politicians. In 2021, the number of attacks on journalists was reduced. Nevertheless, while the number of verbal and physical threats is declining, it is a worrying fact that journalists and media professionals are increasingly subject to threats and harassment on social media, some of which were serious threats to the physical safety of journalists investigating corruption and other negative social phenomena.
It is important to note that in December 2021 a court ruling was rendered in favour of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) for an online threat to all journalists written on the AJM Facebook page. This is the first example of the Prosecution and the Court investigating and sanctioning a serious online threat to journalists.
However, despite the decrease in the number of attacks on journalists and media workers, impunity is still a big problem, because the competent institutions do not cooperate enough and rarely file charges against the perpetrators of threats or attacks, and in cases where investigations are initiated, they are slow and inefficient. Of particular concern is the hate speech and labelling of journalists and media workers by politicians and other public officials. In addition, the competent institutions and courts still do not keep sufficiently up-to-date records of threats and attacks on journalists, nor do they publish such data. However, it is positive that the competent institutions are open to cooperation with AJM and through joint consultations show readiness to work on improving the safety of journalists and media workers by taking more timely measures and prosecuting the perpetrators of attacks and threats.
In 2021, the number of attacks on journalists has decreased. In comparison, in 2020 AJM registered 14 attacks, and in the year before, AJM registered five. However, although the number of verbal and physical threats is declining, the fact that journalists and media professionals are increasingly subject to threats and harassment on social networks, some of which were serious threats to the physical safety of journalists working on corruption and other negative social phenomena.
This joint platform Safejournalists.net is a great example of the joint efforts and work of the Western Balkan countries. Such a similar example of cooperation has never been seen before in this region where in one place the journalists’ associations from the Western Balkans can follow the changes in their countries; legislation and practice and engage in various advocacy activities aimed at advancing the political, legislative and institutional environment in which journalists and the media operate.
It is important to note that each year; the assessment of the situation is conducted based on standardized methods of data collection and analysis, while the focus of advocacy research is on changes in both the traditional and online media environment in the Western Balkans. However, in addition to this report on security indicators, this platform last year conducted a systematic survey through a precisely defined methodology and developed a Safety Index for Journalists and Media Workers in the Western Balkans and this year is finalized the new Safety Index of journalists and media workers in the Western Balkans for 2021.
The Annual Report on the Indicators of the Level of Media Freedom and Safety of Journalists in North Macedonia, prepared within the project Regional Platform for the Western Balkans, funded by the European Commission, has been prepared, proofread and translated into Macedonian, Albanian and English language.
You can see the annual report on the following link
Sarajevo / Banja Luka, May 6, 2022 – The Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association and the Free Media Help Line (FMHL) strongly condemn yesterday’s verbal attack by the president of the Democratic People’s Alliance (DNS) Nenad Nešić on Snežana Mitrović, a journalist of N1 television from Banja Luka.
When asked by the journalist whether he owns real estate in Belgrade like Mirko Šarović, or like some BiH citizens in Dubai, the DNS president verbally attacked N1 journalist and started mentioning her family, stating that the journalist’s brother is a spokesman for a party whose members own real estate in Dubai. After journalists from other media reacted and stood up for their colleague, Nešić apologized, but continued to attack journalist Mitrović, her privacy and personal integrity.
This is another one in a series of verbal attacks in Bosnia and Herzegovina on journalists in the last few months by politicians, in which they seek to discredit media representatives and humiliate them on a personal basis. It is worrying that political leaders and representatives of government institutions respond to journalistic questions with verbal violence, insults and humiliation, and it’s especially alarming that they are increasingly targeting female journalists.
The Steering Committee of BH Journalists once again reminds politicians and all other public officials that it is their right not to answer journalists’ questions if they do not want to, for whatever reason. However, attempts to discredit and violate the personal and professional dignity of journalists can in no way be a political “argument” or a substitute for answers to journalistic questions of importance to the public!
We also draw attention to the recent public reaction of the Steering Committee of BHJA for the inappropriate behavior of Sarajevo government officials, who in a rude and misogynistic manner treated female journalists who, in addition to professional violence, are most often exposed to verbal violence because they are women. According to the Free Media Help Line, close to 70 attacks and threats against female journalists in BiH have been registered in the last three years. That number speaks of a rapid increase in gender-based violence against female journalists, and it is alarming that politicians and other public officials are among the attackers in almost half of the cases.
