(Fwd) Urgent: Threats to Freedom of Press in Macedonia

[Ivo Skoric]

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WELCOME TO IWPR'S BALKAN CRISIS REPORT, SPECIAL ALERT, 6-09-2002

MACEDONIAN EDITORS FACE ARREST - A leading Macedonian magazine editor
today, September 6, revealed that he is likely to be arrested in a
government round-up of independent journalists. IWPR staff report from
London.

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MACEDONIAN EDITORS FACE ARREST

A leading Macedonian magazine editor today, September 6, revealed that he
is likely to be arrested in a government round-up of independent
journalists.

By IWPR staff in London

The interior minister, Ljube Boskovski, announced yesterday, September 5,
that his ministry is considering the detention of some newspaper and
magazine editors for "spreading western scenarios in order to destroy the
government of [prime minister] Ljupco Georgievski".

Saso Ordanoski, editor-in-chief of the fortnightly magazine Forum and
project editor for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, believes he
is one of Boskovski's targets for arrest.

"Today, I was informed by a very reliable source that Boskovski is
finalising the list of those who will be arrested, and apparently I am at
the top of it," he told IWPR.

Ordanoski said he was currently under "the highest form of surveillance".

Boskovski's announcement comes just days before the September 15 general
elections in Macedonia and amid increasing pressure on local journalists,
opposition politicians and representatives of international organisations
in Macedonia, all of whom have been accused in pro-government media of
conspiring to bring down the government.

Local journalists, foreign NGO workers and western diplomats have faced
increasing pressure in the weeks leading up to the general elections.

In the public statement yesterday in which he announced the possible
arrests, Boskovski also said the police have information some foreign
diplomats are involved in a plot to undermine the reputation of the
government domestically and internationally. It is believed that some of
the former may be expelled as a result of Boskovski's offensive.

Ordanoski believes the interior ministry is about to announce a list of
foreigners considered persona non grata - and that it will include
American citizen Agim Fetahaj, IWPR's project director in Skopje.

The Macedonian daily Dnevnik wrote, quoting unnamed police sources, that
Boskovski's intention is "to prevent some foreign organisations in
Macedonia which are using well-exercised scenarios to destroy the
international reputation of Macedonia and the reputation of the current
government in Skopje".

The state-owned dailies Nova Makedonija and Vecer this week serialised a
long article accusing international organisations - including IWPR and the
International Crisis Group, ICG, NATO, the OSCE and others - of
interfering in the internal affairs of Macedonia and conspiring to bring
about electoral defeat for Boskovski and Georgievski's party, VMRO-DPMNE,
the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation - Democratic Party for
Macedonian National Unity.

Foreign Minister Slobodan Casule also accused journalists and opposition
leaders of being involved in a conspiracy against the government in Nova
Makedonija on September 6, repeating allegations he made in Vecer earlier
in the week.

According to current polls, VMRO-DPMNE has little prospect of re-election,
and some see this new wave of intimidation as a desperate attempt to cling
to power, in the knowledge that defeat will mean more than just loss of
office.

As exhaustively detailed in a recent ICG report, corruption allegations
implicate political figures at the highest level of the Macedonian
government. Huge sums have been siphoned off into political coffers and
officials' pockets, not only from local trade but also directly from
international assistance. Loss of office could mean loss of control of
such channels, and possible investigation on corruption charges.

The run-up to the election has seen increasing violence generally: two
Macedonian policemen were shot dead on August 26; an ethnic Albanian
gunmen took five Macedonian civilians hostage for one day at the end of
August; and two ethnic Albanians were killed on September 4. Small
explosions and shootings are commonplace. Local analysts suggest the
intention is either to create tension that would reduce the election-day
turnout (which could benefit the incumbents) or even to provoke such
instability that the ballot itself would be undermined.

A statement released Wednesday by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
of the Republic of Macedonia said that in the current situation, it is
difficult to distinguish whether some police activity falls under their
legal remit or is politically-motivated.

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Editor-in-Chief: Anthony Borden, Managing Editor: Yigal Chazan, Associate
Editor: Gordana Igric, Assistant Editors:  Dragana Nikolic and Mirna
Jancic, Kosovo Project Manager: Nehat Islami. Translation: Alban Mitrushi
and others.

The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) is a London-based
independent non-profit organisation supporting regional media and
democratic change.

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Copyright (c) 2002 The Institute for War & Peace Reporting

BALKAN CRISIS REPORT SPECIAL ALERT