The European Federation of
Journalists (EFJ) the European group of the International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) today accused the authorities in the Republic of Macedonia of
"scandalous neglect" for the safety of journalists after police and public
officials failed to intervene over incitement to violence against journalists in
the Republic of Macedonia.
Journalists in the country were shocked when a
broadcaster issued a list of targeted journalists, accusing them of being
traitors and called for their ‘liquidation.' But despite protests over
hate-speech and the threats posed to the named journalists, the authorities have
yet to react says the Association of Journalists of Macedonia.
"If this
was satire, or comedy it would hardly be laughable, but this is a deadly serious
call on people to commit violence against journalists," said Aidan White, EFJ
General Secretary. "The authorities have a duty of care and must act against
such hate speech. Journalists must never incite acts of violence. Those
responsible should be made accountable to the law."
The controversy
erupted after Milenko Nedelkovski, a television presenter on Kanal 5 issued a
list of "traitor" journalists in the last week and openly called for their
physical elimination. According to him, some journalists should be liquidated
because they do not share his opinions.
The AJM, an IFJ affiliate in the
country, lodged an official complaint against Nedelkovski and asked the
authorities to take all the necessary legal measures and to defend the physical,
moral and professional integrity of the threatened journalists. But no actionhas taken place so far.
"These events must be a lesson and one last
reminder to all public and political actors in Macedonia that they must take
their role in the society seriously. It is urgent for the freedom of speech,
thought and expression to become the fundamental values of our society again,"
declared the AJM in a statement.
The EFJ is supporting the AJM protest
and is calling on Macedonian authorities to act promptly and firmly against
those guilty of incitement to violence in media. "It is clear that we need a new
debate within media and journalism and civil society on the need for tolerance
in journalism and for independent, ethical and quality media," said White.
For more information contact the EFJ at +32 2 235
2215
The EFJ represents over
250,000 journalists in over 30 countries in Europe