Media freedoms watchdog concerned about recent violations

VIENNA, April 17 – The South East Europe Media Organisation, an affiliate of the International Press Institute, has expressed its concern at the number of press freedom violations, and the pressure directed at the media, in South East Europe in recent weeks.
It writes in a statement issued Wednesday that in Albania on April 7, a cameraman for one of the country’s leading TV channels, Top Channel, who covered a football match between Tirana and Skanderbeg, was allegedly beaten by police, stopped from filming and taken to a Tirana police station where he was allegedly beaten by high-ranking police officers. This happened after an incident involving the football fans and police, when the Top Channel cameraman was waiting fans who had been detained to come out. According to the police, the cameraman was taken to the police office because he refused to identify himself, no violence was used, and after he was identified he was immediately released. Top Channel rejects these declarations as untrue.
SEEMO notes that this is not the first attack on Top Channel. In March this year the studios of the channel were surrounded by police as a result of a state decision, without prior notice, to terminate a rental contract with Top Channel. Top Channel received a letter from a minister with a one-sided termination of the rent contract – which had in theory been valid until 2025.
The SEEMO also mentions other cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Croatia and Serbia.
SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic urged “the authorities to create a safe environment for journalists, to investigate all forms of attacks and threats against journalists, and to cease activities that could make the work of journalists harder. Different views, and investigative reporting, need to be accepted, promoted and supported by state authorities, including through transparent investigations into all forms of attacks on journalists”.