Odprto pismo Junckerju o Bratuškovi

Združenje novinarjev in publicistov (ZNP) protestira zaradi kandidature Alenke Bratušek za komisarko

Evropske komisije

Odprto pismo predsedniku Evropske komisije g. Jeanu-Claudu Junckerju

Spoštovani gospod predsednik,

Združenje novinarjev in publicistov iz Slovenije je ogorčeno zaradi kandidature predsednice slovenske vlade gospe Alenke Bratušek za komisarko Evropske komisije, zato Vas pozivamo, da je ne imenujete na ta položaj. Gospa Alenka Bratušek je predlagala kazenski pregon zoper fotoreporterja Janija Božiča zaradi fotografiranja prejete čestitke na njenem mobilnem telefonu v času, ko je bila v parlamentu potrjena za predsednico Vlade Republike Slovenije. Božič je nato posnetek objavil na svojem portalu Podlupo.net z ugotovitvijo, da je predsednici vlade znani slovenski gospodarstvenik čestital že dvajset minut

pred izvolitvijo. Zatem je fotoreporterja na predlog izvoljene predsednice vlade zaslišala policija, državno tožilstvo pa je zoper njega vložilo obtožbo zaradi storitve kaznivega dejanja kršitve tajnosti občil. Sodni postopek zoper fotoreporterja poteka na okrajnem sodišču v Ljubljani, že pred tem pa se je moral fotoreporter Božič zaradi gospodarske krize in političnih pritiskov na medije v Sloveniji preseliti v Veliko Britanijo, kjer si je poiskal novo službo.

Združenje novinarjev in publicistov je že ob vložitvi kazenske ovadbe protestiralo in opozorilo na ogrožanje svobode tiska v Sloveniji, zato smo predsednico vlade pozvali, naj umakne predlog za pregon. Ob tem smo predložili članke iz italijanskih in britanskih časopisov, v katerih so novinarji prav tako objavili posnetke pisem, ki so si jih italijanski politiki pošiljali v parlamentu, oziroma dokumentacije, ki jo je britanska ministrica v rokah nosila po ulici. Prepričani smo, da fotoreporterja Janija Božiča zaradi posnetka in objave čestitke, ki jo je dobila predsednica vlade, ne bi preganjali nikjer drugje v EU. Kljub temu Alenka Bratušek vztraja pri kazenskem pregonu. Nesprejemljivo je, da bi takšna oseba postala komisarka Evropske komisije in hkrati v svoji domači državi zgolj zaradi fotografije čestitke kazensko preganjala fotoreporterja, ki mora na sodne obravnave celo pripotovati iz druge države članice Evropske unije, v kateri si je moral poiskati delo. Zato Vas, spoštovani g. predsednik Evropske komisije, pozivamo, da za komisarko Evropske komisije ne izberete osebe, ki kazensko preganja novinarje ter ni privržena vrednotam evropske demokracije, med katere sodi tudi svoboda tiska oziroma svoboda javnega izražanja.

S spoštovanjem

Tino Mamić, predsednik  Združenja novinarjev in publicistov, Slovenija

 

P. S.: Odprto pismo pošiljamo v vednost tudi poslancem Evropskega parlamenta

ORIGINAL, ENGLISH VERSION:

The Association of Journalists and Commentators protests against the candidacy of Alenka Bratušek for European Commissioner

An open letter to the President of the European Commission, Mr Jean-Claude Juncker

Dear Mr President,

The Association of Journalists and Commentators from Slovenia is outraged over the candidacy of Slovenian Prime Minister, Mrs Alenka Bratušek, for the position of European Commissioner, and therefore we call upon you not to appoint her to this position. Mrs Alenka Bratušek launched a criminal prosecution against the photojournalist Jani Božič for taking a picture with his mobile phone of her being congratulated for the appointment as Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. Božič later published the picture on his web portal Podlupo.net, including his finding that the Prime Minister was congratulated by the Slovenian economist already 20 minutes before she was actually elected. Following a proposal by the newly elected Prime Minister, the photojournalist was afterwards interrogated by the police, and the State Prosecutor's Office filed charges against him, accusing him of committing a criminal offence, namely violating the secrecy of means of communication. While the economic crisis and political pressure on the media in Slovenia forced Božič to move to Great Britain, where he found himself a new job, the court proceedings against the photojournalist are taking place at the District Court in Ljubljana.

When the criminal complaint was filed, the Association of Journalists and Commentators protested against it, stressing that the freedom of the press in Slovenia has been jeopardized. Subsequently, we called upon the Prime Minister Bratušek to withdraw her proposal for criminal prosecution against Mr Božič. In doing so, we also submitted news articles from Italian and British newspapers, in which journalists published pictures of different letters exchanged between the Italian politicians in the parliament or documents carried by the British Minister down the street. We are convinced that in other EU countries, the photojournalist Jani Božič would not be prosecuted for publishing the disputed picture. However, despite this, the Prime Minister insists on continuing the prosecution. It is unacceptable that a person who criminally prosecutes a photojournalist in her home country merely because he published a picture of her being congratulated for her new appointment could become a European Commissioner. Therefore, we urgently call upon you, dear Mr President of the European Commission, not to appoint her as a European Commissioner, for she is not committed to the values of European democracy which includes freedom of the press or freedom of public expression.

Respectfully,

Tino Mamić, the president of Association of Journalists and Commentators, Slovenia

PS: This open letter has been sent also to the Members of the European Parliament.

------------------------------------------------------

The Association of Journalists and Commentators

Banija 82, 1292 Ig

1000 Ljubljana

Slovenia

www.znp.si

--------------------------------------------------------