Increasing attacks against journalists in North Macedonia have prompted the latter to threaten a boycott if legal changes designed to offer additional protection are not voted in parliament.
Journalists demand that attacks on journalists be treated as an attack on an official, which would increase the level of security for them.
“We call on the deputies to vote for the amendments to the Penal Code which will punish attacks on journalists. With the legal changes, the attack on the journalist will not be treated as an attack on an individual but as an attack on the profession. If the changes are not voted, we will boycott the work,” said Pavle Bellovski, president of the Union of Journalists.
President of the Association of Macedonian Journalists Mladen Čadikovski recalled that the number of attacks on journalists is concerning and this means changes to the law are more urgent.
“In 2020, there were 14 attacks on journalists, eight of which were against female journalists, and only two were resolved by court decisions. In 2021, out of five attacks, three were against female journalists. In 2022, so far we have six attacks against journalists and media workers,” he emphasised.
Čadikovski said that the authorities indifference to journalists’ safety increases the risk of censorship.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
