As SDSM leader Zoran Zaev announced at today’s press conference, most monitored journalist in Macedonia from the Security and Intelligence Service was the owner and editor of the weekly “Fokus”, Nikola Mladenov. But, as Zaev said, justifiably he will not publish the calls and will act in a way which will be decided by the family.
Today, together with Mladenov’s record, their tapped conversations were also picked up by journalists Borjan Jovanovski, Biljana Sekulovska, Goran Mihajlovski, Katerina Blazhevska, Sashka Cvetkovska, Meri Jordanovska, Jadranka Kostova, Mladen Chadikovski, Olivera Trajkovska, Muhamed Zeqiri, Snezhana Lupevska, Naser Selmani, Branko Geroski, Zharko Jordanovski and Irena Mulachka.
Some of them, after the press conference, said they were appalled by the fact that someone bugged their conversations for a few years.
Journalist Sashka Cvetkovska says she does not feel comfortable and that will require accountability because of the fact that they have long been monitored and tapped.
– I do not feel comfortable. Folders show that journalists of A1 were followed at the time when the television worked and in the period after. I do not know if it still lasts, but if it does, it must stop. Journalists in Macedonia are not enemies of their country and of their people. We will definitely demand accountability for all this time we have been monitored and heard, but mostly we would like to why mobile operators approved wiretaps of so many people, not just journalists, and me personally and I hope my colleagues will want to ask them – Cvetkovska said.
Meri Jordanovska said she was appalled by the recordings and that she has a feeling as if she is naked before the state.
– I am disgusted. From what I could see, this is the period after the closure of “A1” TV and in the period when I worked for “Fokus”. I actually feel like we were stripped before the state that we leak not only our private and official information, but that we also leak the names of those with whom we spoke. This questions the whole functioning of this system, the transparency of the Government and all methods that are used by the Government to discover reporters’ information this brutal, harsh, cruel and inhumane way – Jordanovska said.
Muhamed Zeqiri, the editor of television “Alsat”, says he is not surprised by eavesdropping and they were proud because they have managed to preserve critical thinking at the time of such Government.
– I can say that I am proud as all my colleagues who have been tapped by the totalitarian Government should be because they had a critical opinion. We should be proud because we were visionaries and we know with whom we are dealing. But this has to end, we must send a message that we are all “Nikola Mladenov,” said Zeqiri.
Olivera Trajkovska said that reporters should feel defeated after these recordings.
– I cannot say I’m surprised, but I think most of us should feel defeated, because today we had to come and listen to audio recordings as Crown evidence that each of us has argued all the time, especially that created truth is competing with us in the media channel. It was clear where the truth was created because it is impossible the news of all three televisions to have an exclusive photography – says journalist Olivera Trajkovska.
Aneta Dodevska says that the fact that hundreds of journalists have been tapped is startling, and from what she can see it in the papers, it was a matter of an extremely long period.
– What further startles, if we can believe of what was explained by the party, is that the Security and Intelligence Service is behind all of this – says journalist Dodevska.
Goran Mihajlovski, the editor of “Vest”, only confirms the authenticity of the recordings he received.
Journalist Katerina Blazhevska says she feels violated.
– My phone is my main weapon in the work, how can I continue working and talking with politicians and public figures. I am disappointed that ways and mechanisms to stop this were not found since the first tapping – said Blazhevska.
