The IJC clears up: We will not comment on the “Alternative Board,” but will keep monitoring the Actions of Government Officials

On Wednesday, May 11, the Independent Journalism Center placed in front of the parliament building the “Enemies of the Press” board, through which we aimed to bring back into the attention of officials and of the general public the main cases of violation of journalists’ constitutional rights and freedoms. Press freedom and access to information are essential to a healthy democracy, and when people in public offices fail to understand it, they should be held accountable.

The board, launched every year during Press Freedom Days, includes the names of public officials who, in the period of May 3, 2015 to May 3, 2016 intimidated or encouraged intimidation of media representatives through aggressive statements and hostile behavior. Also, it has the names of the officials who restricted journalists’ access to the public meetings of local authorities and of those who developed controversial laws that might eventually obstruct the work of the media. All cases are well-documented and mention concrete events and dates when they happened.

As a reaction to the IJC’s action, an alternative “Enemies of the Press” board was produced and placed in front of the parliament building, also on Wednesday. Please note that the IJC will not comment on the actions organized by other institutions; the arguments for inclusion of persons in these lists are up to authors.

The Independent Journalism Center will keep monitoring similar actions of public officials in their relations with the press and will react whenever it will find abuses and violations of journalists’ rights.