Skopje, 17 November 2023 (MIA) - Media freedom is absolute and cannot be jeopardized. The Government does not intend to regulate who is or is not a journalist, this is entirely in left to the journalism profession, whereas the right to protest is legitimate, especially when journalists feel threatened, said Deputy PM Bojan Marichikj on Friday.

Deputy PM Marichikj was quizzed by reporters on the recent Civil Court ruling for defamation by the Investigative Reporting Lab (IRL) after a complaint filed by company "Brako" and its owner Kocho Angjushev over the programme "Conspiracy against Air". In the ruling, judge Jovanka Spirovska Paneva said that IRL research should not be publicized but used exclusively for education of its employees. The judge rejected the statement of IRL editor Sashka Cvetkovska with the explanation that she is not a journalist and IRL is not a media outlet.

"Without a doubt, the Government stands in full support to the protection of media freedom, which is absolute and cannot be jeopardized. It can be restricted only under law and by standards from international conventions when it relates to hate speech or something similar to this. The specific verdict can be revoked only through another verdict by a court of higher instance. My appeal to judges trying these cases is to be extremely cautious and consider European standards and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, but also other standards in Chapter 23 on media freedom. The Government does not intend to regulate who is or is not a journalist, this is entirely in left to the journalism profession. The Government is prepared to listen, talk and put forward further legislative changes aimed to strengthen the protection of journalists and media freedom if journalists deem it necessary," said Marichikj.

Earlier today, the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (ZNM) and the Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) staged a protest against the verdict in front of the Civil Court.

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