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MEDIA-BALKANS: Journalists Face Increasing Threats
By Marian Chiriac
BUCHAREST, Dec 11, 2003 (IPS) - Reporters are facing increasing violence in the
Balkans for writing critical reports on political leaders.
Romanian reporter Ino Ardelean, 36, was attacked while returning home last
week. He had to undergo surgery for a broken jaw and head injuries. The
attackers escaped. Nothing was taken from him.
Ardelean has been writing on corruption cases for an independent daily in the
western city Timisoara.
About 100 journalists broke pens in a gesture of protest against the attack at a
silent march in Timisoara.
International media watchdogs reacted swiftly to the attack. "The growing
number of physical attacks on journalists who investigate corruption within the
ruling political class, especially in the provinces, is extremely worrying," the
Paris-based Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) said in a letter to Romanian Prime
Minister Adrian Nastase.
Ino Ardelean was the 14th journalist to be assaulted this year in Romania,
according to local media organisations. The number of attacks is reported to be
rising. None of the attackers has been identified, director of the Bucharest-
based Centre for Independent Journalism Ioana Avadani told IPS.
This situation allows local officials to behave like feudal lords, he said. "They
think they can do anything as they have all the power."
Interior Minister Ioan Rus said at a press conference Wednesday that "the
Romanian authorities are convinced that the police will clarify the circumstances
of the incident and will bring those responsible to justice."
Officials from the ruling Social Democracy Party (PSD) deny any connections
between the party and the incident.
But concern has grown over some PSD officials. Nicole Mischie who heads
the PSD in the south-western county Gorj said of one reporter at a recent press
conference: "I see that he has a crippled leg...he'd better not make me cripple
the other leg." He banned the reporter from party press conferences.
Relations between authorities and journalists have often been tense since the
overthrow of communism in 1989. Public officials are still unaccustomed to
criticism, and are particularly sensitive to allegations of corruption.
Journalists who investigate the business activities of officials receive frequent
death threats.
The situation is similar in neighbouring Bulgaria. Pavel Nikolov, an outspoken
journalist with the privately-owned Radio Montana north-east of capital Sofia
was beaten up in front of his home five days after receiving death threats.
Editorial independence remains a problem in both countries though they are
moving closer to European Union (EU) membership. EU foreign ministers
agreed at a meeting Dec. 8 to set January 2007 as the tentative accession date
for Romania and Bulgaria.
"Surprisingly enough, the EU fever has become a pretext for all manner of
control," said a journalist who did not want to be named. "Politicians are less
accepting of press criticism now because they want to enter the EU in 2007.
Everyone is being told to shut up until we get into the European Union."
Critics say both Romania and Bulgaria have to do much more to respect
freedom of information. "Many of the press outlets are controlled by powerful
media barons with influence over politics and ties with the banking sector," says
Mircea Toma who heads the Agency for Monitoring Press Freedoms in
Romania.
Avadani says money pressure is a major factor in weakening the local press.
"Money influence through advertisements has made media more of a business -
but a business whose aim is just survival," Avadani said. That makes it "open to
the threat of financial consequences."
Journalists complain also of old libel laws that make it easy to sue reporters for
libel. They want their governments to follow the Council of Europe's
recommendation to remove libel and slander from the penal code.
In many former communist countries including Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Macedonia, and Serbia, journalists are often given stiff fines. This has led to a
form of self-censorship. The Council of Europe has identified these as a major
obstacle to the freedom of the media. (END)
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