The European Federation of
Journalists, the regional group of the International Federation of Journalists today
condemned yesterday's raid by the police of Macedonia's national broadcaster A1
TV. The police claimed the raid was part of a fraud investigation, but the
journalists are convinced it is part of political pressure on a media outlet
that has been critical of the authorities.
"Macedonia
has a very poor record when it comes to defending the independence of
journalism and this raid smacks of brazen intimidation of journalists," said
Aidan White, the General Secretary of the EFJ. "We deplore this intervention and
we support our member, the Macedonian Association of Journalists, in its
protest against this latest assault."
Though it has not been confirmed that the TV
channel was in fact the target of the original raid the drama played out during
a live broadcast throughout the evening with several hundred people trying to
break through the police cordon around the building.
The station's journalists, who were initially
trapped inside the building, claim the raid was an attempt to shut down the TV
station which is known for its criticism of the government. They say the police
blocked them from doing their jobs and that two of their colleagues were
physically attacked by the officers.
"The police must give a full public
explanation of these events," said White. "When police action leads to public
outcry like this they must be held accountable and the people who ordered the
raid must take their responsibility."
For more information contact the EFJ at
+32 2 235 2215
The EFJ represents over 250,000 journalists in over 30
European countries