Live News - A Survival Guide - International Federation of Journalists

CHAPTER 7Fighting back: What the IFJ and journalists’organisations can doAlexander Sami (right) with MiroPetek in Slovenia, during Sami’sinquiry on behalf of the IFJ.regularly to the Minister of the Interior.The Slovene Association of Journalists pressed the police formore action, in particular the transfer of the case from local to specialistnational investigators. They asked for an explanation of thelack of progress.The IFJ commissioned an inquiry into the case, carried out byAlexander Sami, a lawyer who is General Secretary of the SwissFederation of Journalists. He went to Slovenia and interviewed seniorofficials including the General State Prosecutor, the DirectorGeneral of Police and the Director of the Criminal InvestigationSector. He met local police investigators and the local prosecutor incharge of the Miro Petek case, as well the Minister of the Interior,the chief of the cabinet.Alexander Sami described the failure to find the culprits as ‘veryalarming’. His report to the IFJ said: “An attack on journalists is aform of censorship, and this is exactly what the broader and moredramatic implication of the attack against Petek is. Ironically, thefreedom of the press in Korosko and the rest of Slovenia is in thehands of the police. Should the police fail to do its job properly inthe Petek case, smashing the heads of journalists could wellbecome routine procedure of Slovene criminals. This howevershould not be possible in a country mentioned as a likely candidatefor admission to the European Union in the near future.”The inquiry and the subsequent press conference held by the IFJin Brussels raised the question of whether Slovene police should beseeking outside help. Following publication of Sami report, IFJGeneral Secretary, Aidan White, wrote to Milan Kucan, thePresident of the Republic of Slovenia, calling for an independentteam of investigators to be appointed. He said: “Unless these measuresare taken, confidence in the ability of the Slovenian politicalinstitutions to respond to attacks on press freedom and its democracywill be severely damaged.”Although Petek’s attackers had not been arrested when this bookwent to press, the campaign to find them had become a voice forpress freedom and a way of standing up for independent journalismand investigative reporting inside and outside Slovenia.UkraineA strong national response linked to international support is centralto the campaign to bring to justice the killers of GeorgyGongadze in Ukraine. Gongadze disappeared in September 2000,108