Mr. Javier Solana
Secretary General
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Brussels
Belgium

Vienna, 28 April, 1999

Dear Secretary General,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and publishers dedicated to protecting and furthering freedom of the press, condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent NATO strikes on the media in Serbia.

While appreciating the fact that the state-run Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) is a propaganda tool for President Slobodan Milosevic’s regime, IPI feels that the strikes have the potential to do a lot more harm than good. By identifying media as a legitimate target in war, NATO has consequently threatened the safety of all journalists reporting in all conflict zones around the world. The status of journalists as non-combatants is now cast in serious jeopardy.

Furthermore, silencing this locally popular Serbian station will not alter the public’s views on the situation as a whole? Surely it’s more likely that the public’s opinion will now be galvanised and that they will hold up these stations in a kind of martyr status and find their material more desirable and seek it out. If history has one lesson to teach us it is that you cannot silence opposing voices. If there is a willing audience, an information channel will be found and the message of an obstructed voice will resonate all the clearer.

These actions will have other ramifications way beyond the boundaries of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. If Western governments can silence a media outlet when they do not approve of its content, why, governments around the world will ask, can’t they then silence media outlets in their countries that are countering their views? The term ‘propaganda’ can be highly subjective. Governments who harass, beat and imprison journalists all over the world can point to NATO’s actions as a form of legitimate justification. To then condemn these governments will undoubtedly lead to accusations of ‘Western Hypocrisy.’

All NATO members are signatories to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights which states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression…” This must include the opinions and views we disagree with.

IPI calls on NATO to immediately cease targeting journalists and media outlets, to make an unambiguous and unequivocal statement in favour of the free flow of all information and to ensure journalists can safely perform their function of informing the public in this time of tragedy and conflict.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director