H.E. Branko Crvenkovski
President of the Republic of Macedonia
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
Fax: +389 2 3112 147

H.E. Ljupco Jordanovski
President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
Fax: +389 2 3113 643

H.E. Vlado Buckovski
Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
Fax: +389 2 3112 561

CC:
H.E. Meri Mladenovska-Georgievska
Minister of Justice of the Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
H.E. Ljubomir Mihajlovski
Minister of Interior of the Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
H.E. Lence Sofronievska
President of the Court Council of the Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)

Vienna, 4 October 2005

Your Excellencies,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), welcomes the decision of the Macedonian Court of Appeals in the case of Raymonda Malecka.

According to information before SEEMO, on 23 September, the Macedonian Court of Appeal decided to annul the decision of a Skopje court in the case of the Albanian journalist Malecka and to return her case to the Skopje Court, which had sentenced both her and her father, Bujar Malecka, to five years’ imprisonment each. Malecka was arrested, together with her father, in March 2005 near the town of Gostivar.

In its decision, the Court of Appeals set out the following important facts:

– A journalist, in this case a foreign journalist, who was on assignment, was tried and imprisoned for practicing her profession. Such a decision is an exception to normal Macedonian court practices;

– Albanian journalist Malecka is the only journalist to be convicted for interviewing and reporting on the paramilitary group leader Agim Krasniqi. For several months, the group kept the village of Kondovo, near Skopje, under a blockade. Malecka was sentenced to five-years’ imprisonment for her alleged involvement in the preparation of terrorist activities, although other journalists, who also reported on the Kondovo case and undertook interviews with Krasniqi, were not sentenced;

– After the crisis in the village of Kondovo was over, the Skopje Court withdrew the arrest warrant for Agim Krasniqi, although the charges remain outstanding; and

– In deciding to return the case to the Skopje court, the Court of Appeals implied that the trial of the journalist was a precedent.

SEEMO believes it is unacceptable to punish a journalist who was merely practicing her profession. SEEMO would also remind Your Excellencies that interviews with controversial figures are not only in the public interest, but also provide a context to delicate and difficult subjects.

SEEMO, therefore, asks Your Excellencies to do everything in your power to investigate the case of Malecka and to withdraw the charges and the sentence against her. SEEMO would like to remind Your Excellencies that the free movement and free reporting of journalists is a fundamental principle in any democratic society.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic
SEEMO Secretary General

For any further information please contact:
SEEMO – IPI, Spiegelgasse 2/29, 1010 Vienna, Austria,
Tel (SEEMO+HELP LINE): +43 1 513 39 40, Tel (SEEMO): +43 1 512 90 11 11,
Fax: +43 1 512 90 15, E-mail: [email protected], Web: http://www.seemo.org