Committee to Protect Journalists - Slovakia

Attacks on the Press 2009: Europe and Central Asia Developments

2010-02-16T05:00:20Z

Attacks on the Press in 2008: Europe and Central Asia Developments

2009-02-10T05:35:00Z

Attacks on the Press 2002: The Hague

2003-03-31T17:06:30Z

December 11

Jonathan C. Randal, The Washington Post

The U.N. International War Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague (ICTY) ruled to limit compelled testimony from war correspondents. The decision, announced at the tribunal's Appeals Chamber, came in response to the appeal by former Washington Post reporter Jonathan C. Randal, who had been subpoenaed to testify in the case of former Bosnian-Serb housing minister Radoslav Brdjanin, who is facing charges of genocide because of his alleged role in the persecution and expulsion of more than 100,000 non-Serbs during the Bosnian war. The subpoena against Randal was set aside, and he is no longer required to testify.

Attacks on the Press 2002: Kyrgystan

2003-03-31T17:05:15Z

Emboldened by the growing number of U.S. troops in the country, President Askar Akayev has used the threat of international terrorism as an excuse to curb political dissent and suppress the independent and opposition media in Kyrgyzstan. Compliant courts often issue exorbitant damage awards in politically motivated libel suits, driving even the country's most prominent newspapers to the brink of bankruptcy.

Attacks on the Press 2002: Slovakia

2003-03-31T17:02:25Z

Attacks on the Press 2002: Slovenia

2003-03-31T17:02:20Z

Press freedom is generally respected in Slovenia, but journalists investigating sensitive issues continue to face occasional intimidation or pressure in retaliation for their coverage.

Attacks on the Press 2002: United Kingdom

2003-03-31T17:00:45Z

Press freedom is generally respected in the United Kingdom, but CPJ was alarmed by a legal case in which Interbrew, a Belgium-based brewing group, and the British Financial Services Authority (FSA), a banking and investment watchdog agency, demanded that several U.K. media outlets turn over documents that had been leaked to them. The case threatened to erode the media's ability to protect sources, and to deter whistle-blowers from talking with the press.

Attacks on the Press 2001: Slovakia

2002-03-26T17:02:45Z

As Slovakia adopts political reforms aimed at European Union membership, the government remains slow to change press laws and revamp the state-run media. Criminal libel cases against journalists and political influence over media outlets also hindered the Slovak press in 2001.

Attacks on the Press 2000: Europe & Central Asia Analysis

2001-03-19T17:10:25Z

POLITICAL REFORMS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, along with the advent of democratic governments in Croatia and Serbia, brightened the security prospects for journalists in Central Europe and the Balkans. In contrast, Russian's new government imposed press restrictions, and authoritarian regimes entrenched themselves in other countries of the former Soviet Union, particularly in Central Asia, further threatening the independent press.

CPJ confirmed that in 2000, five journalists were killed as a result of their reporting in Europe and Central Asia. In Russia, two journalists were killed in Chechnya, and one in Moscow. (CPJ could not confirm the motives for the killings of four other journalists in Russia during the year.) In Ukraine, the disappearance and murder of Internet journalist Georgy Gongadze highlighted the extreme vulnerability of independent journalists in that country. And in a rare Western European case, a Spanish journalist was killed in response to his coverage of the Basque separatist group ETA.

Attacks on the Press 2000: Slovakia

2001-03-19T17:02:25Z

SLOVAKIA'S RULING COALITION LACKS IDEOLOGICAL COHERENCE, aside from a common aversion to former prime minister Vladimir Meciar and his nationalist HZDS party. Internal bickering and power struggles have slowed government decision-making and the pace of political reform.

Direct political pressure on journalists has declined significantly since Meciar left office in late 1998, but the lack of a clear policy on media reform has limited the independence of journalists, particularly in the state-run media.

Slovakia: Journalist sentenced for defaming his country

2000-12-12T05:00:00Z

April 12, 2000

President Rudolph Schuster
Sdesanikova Ul. 1
Bratislava, SLOVAKIA 81104

VIA FAX: 011-4217-544-30-683

Your Excellency,

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to express its dismay over recent defamation charges brought against Vladimir Mohorita, a journalist with the Slovak weekly Zmena.

On March 16, Mohorita received a registered letter from the Bratislava 2 Regional Court informing him that unspecified, undated criminal charges had been filed against him. Mohorita received another registered letter two days later, explaining that the charges had in fact been filed two weeks earlier. The letter added that, having reached a decision on March 7, the court was sentencing him to four months in prison under Article 102 of the Slovak Penal Code for "publicly defaming the country and its officials."

Attacks on the Press 1999: Europe & Central Asia Analysis

2000-03-22T17:10:35Z

By Chrystyna Lapychak

Wars in Yugoslavia and Chechnya dominated regional and international headlines in 1999. The conflicts raised the journalists' death toll in the region and prompted crackdowns, as governments blocked access to war zones and engaged in propaganda campaigns.

Attacks on the Press 1999: Slovakia

2000-03-22T17:02:25Z

Slovak media function in an increasingly competitive market that has forced many newspapers and broadcasters out of business. Slovakia's economic difficulties have put pressure on the advertising market, which is dominated by national dailies and magazines. The editorial policies of most media outlets are largely independent of the government and individual political parties, although business interests have significant editorial influence.

Military Police Torture Journalists in Zimbabwe

1999-02-03T05:00:00Z

February 3, 1999

Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda
Republic of Slovakia

Dear Mr. Dzurinda,

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is seeking clarification of the reasons behind the recent dismissal of 26 employees (see list below) of the Slovak Television Station (STV).

After you came to power following the September elections, Milan Materak was chosen to be the new director of STV. Shortly after Materak took office on November 20, these employees, most of whom are journalists, known for their loyalty to former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar, were notified that their positions had been deemed "redundant" and would be terminated after three months.

Military Police Torture Journalists in Zimbabwe

1999-02-03T05:00:00Z

February 3, 1999

Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda
Republic of Slovakia