Macedonian journalist imprisoned
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 17 January 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Macedonian journalist imprisoned, 17 January 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54e1a3be15.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 17, 2015
By RFE/RL's Balkan Service
Macedonian journalist Tomislav Kezarovski has again been put in prison.
RFE/RL reported that Kezarovski was taken from his home by police on January 16 and put back in prison after the Skopje Court of Appeals confirmed his sentence on January 15.
The appellate court reduced Kezarovsk's prison term from 4.5 years to two years, and considering jail time and house arrest served by the journalist until now, Kezarovski will remain in prison for four and a half more months.
Macedonian journalists demonstrated against the decision in front of the Court Appeals on January 16.
Kezarovski, a journalist for the Skopje-based daily "Nova Makedoniya" was arrested in May 2013 on charges he had revealed the identity of a protected witness in an article published in 2008 when Kezarovski worked for the "Reporter 92" newspaper.
In that article, Kezarovksi quoted from an internal police report that had been leaked to him.
The witness in question had not been given any protection at that time and later admitted to giving false testimony under pressure from police.
Kezarovksi believes the real reason for his arrest and October 2013 conviction was his refusal to divulge the name of the person who leaked the police report to him.
Kezarovksi spent several months in jail before international protests led to his being placed under house arrest.
Christian Mihr, the executive director of Reporters Without Borders Germany, said in a January 16 statement, "This absurd verdict is unworthy of an EU candidate and has to be overturned as quickly as possible."
Mihr also said, "Tomislav Kezarovksi should not have served a single day of confinement. His only wrongdoing was to have pointed out shortcomings by Macedonia's government and judiciary through his journalistic investigations."
With additional information from http://en.rsf.org/macedoine-rsf-condemns-sentence-for-16-01-2015,47490.html
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
