Detention of Macedonian journalist excessive, says OSCE media freedom representative

VIENNA, 31 May 2013 – The detention of a journalist in Skopje for an article published several years ago is excessive and negatively impacts media freedom, said OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today.

Tomislav Kezarovski, an investigative journalist at the daily Nova Makedonija, is currently being detained for 30 days in relation to an article he wrote in 2008 for Reporter 92 magazine in which he revealed the identity of a witness in a murder case.

“The detention of Mr. Kezarovski sends a negative signal about the state of media freedom in the country,” said Mijatović. “Journalists must be allowed to carry out investigative reporting of issues in the public interest free from the threat of imprisonment and without being forced to reveal their sources.”

Mijatović added that even in cases where there were issues of confidentiality or witness protection, the detention of journalists was “excessive”.