Press freedom 2011 (Sep-Dec)

One day after receiving an award for defending human rights from Croatia’s president Ivo Josipovic and one month after receiving the Dr. Erhard Busek - SEEMO 2011 Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe, Croatian journalist and author Drago Hedl has received death threats. On 8 December 2011, the Commission of the Croatian Bishops' Conference “Justitia et Pax” asked President Josipovic to withdraw the award because they were not satisfied with Hedl’s reporting. They cited an article published 30 years ago. This announcement was followed by death threats against Hedl... read more

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), calls on the authorities in Vojvodina, northern Serbia, to protect journalists from political pressure.

With general elections approaching in spring 2012, the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) has registered a growing number of journalists’ complaints regarding political pressure... read more

Budapest- Hungary’s new model of media regulation is creating a chilling effect and undermining freedom of expression said an international partnership mission comprised of leading press freedom and media development organizations today.

The partnership mission to Hungary, which took place from November 14th to 16th, included meetings with lawyers, journalists, editors, professional associations, representatives of civil society, the new media authorities, and the government representative to discuss the situation regarding the enactment and implementation of the new media law, which went into effect on January 1, 2011... read more

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), condemns the police raid against Afrika, a Turkish-language newspaper in Northern Cyprus.

On 1 November 2011 the police forcefully entered Afrika’s premises and removed a banner hanging from the balcony of the newspaper´s building. The banner was created by journalists to express solidarity with the general strike organized by the Trade Union´s platform of Northern Cyprus. It consisted of old newspaper headlines... read more

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Oragnisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute, condemns renewed threats and pressures against journalists in Serbia.

 On 14 October 2011, Anel Grbovic, a journalist with the local Television Novi Pazar (southwest Serbia), received death threats, apparently because he failed to cover a voluntary blood donation event. The organiser allegedly called the journalist and threatened to beat him... read more

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), condemns continued political pressure on Hungarian minority media in Vojvodina, Serbia.

On 17 September 2011, Rudolf Mihok, the director of Television Panon from Subotica, a town on the border between Hungary and Serbia, was dismissed... read more

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute, condemns political and police pressure on investigative journalists who have revealed alleged illegal financing of the governing political party.

On Sunday 11 September 2011, Zagreb-based daily Vecernji List carried a story on illegal party finances and electoral campaigns. On 15 September 2011, the Bureau for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime (USKOK) summoned one of the authors, Josip Bohutinski, to testify. The police expected the journalist to reveal his sources but they did not pressure him to do so. Citing media law, Bohutinski did not cooperate... read more

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), demands the immediate release of Viktor Lazic, a travel writer for the Belgrade-based daily, Press.

Lazic was detained on 3 September 2011 on the border between Georgia and South Ossetia. According to the journalist, he was detained because he had allegedly crossed the border of the self proclaimed territory of South Ossetia. He is being held in solitary confinement... read more