Prosecutor Jasmina Kostevski Zdravevska from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje, has denied the request for criminal prosecution against Milenko Nedelkovski for spreading hate speech and threatening the safety of the citizens who support and work at the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) and the Independent Union of Media and Media Workers (SSNM).
“To our great surprise, the prosecutor refused our request as unfounded. The prosecutor Ms Zdravevska believes Nedelkovski only expressed his views and was not inciting hatred, discrimination or violence based on national origin or religious belief. The prosecutor also reported that the published posts do not jeopardize the safety of journalists. The AJM and SSNM appealed this decision and we hope that the Higher Public Prosecutor will assess the situation objectively and will open a case against Nedelkovski for threats and hate speech”, said Naser Selmani, President of the AJM.
He said their idea is to intimidate and discourage journalists to write about the massive abuse of institutions and human rights violations.
“ We strongly support our colleagues, and as for the creators and messengers of these threatening messages, we want to send a message that we are not afraid and we will continue to work in the public interest. We are aware that the government not only wants to cause insecurity and fear among journalists, but also damage their credibility and the dignity of journalism”, said Selmani.
Nedelkovski on his “Facebook” profile portrayed them as traitors, journalists Jadranka Kostova, Branko Gerovski, Borjan Jovanovski, Saso Ordanovski and threatened that he would visit them at home to ‘work it out’. With this, Nedelkovski has encouraged others to attack journalists, questioning their safety.
