The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) today expressed serious concern over the direct threats to life, calls for violence and ethnically based insults directed at journalist and columnist Erol Rizaov, through comments on a post on his official Facebook page that links to his column for Nezavisen.mk titled “While Hope for a Better Tomorrow Dies”.
AJM has demanded that the Ministry of Interior to thoroughly investigate the case, as some of the comments contain explicit calls for his physical elimination and death. As indicated by AJM, one of the comments refers to an historical figure Kjoseto, an assassin and executioner who allegedly murdered over hundred men: “Will there be a hero among this scum to deal with this garbage like the Kjoseto with his knife”, while another asks the question: “Isn’t there anyone who can solve Erol in an express way?!” In addition, the comments also contain ethnically based insults directed at Rizaov.
“We expect the Ministry of Interior to urgently secure and preserve electronic evidence, to determine the identities of the persons behind the profiles and to assess whether in this particular case there are elements of crimes related to threats, incitement or incitement to violence and hate speech. We demand that, if such elements are established, the case be submitted to the competent public prosecutor’s office without delay,” the AJM statement said.
The association appeals not to ignore threats against journalists for their work, as they are a serious blow to freedom of expression and points out that it is of utmost importance in such situations for institutions to react in a timely manner and prevent threats from escalating into violence.
