February 12 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria was the lowest ranked EU member state in Reporters Without Borders' latest freedom of press ranking, the non-governmental organisation said on Wednesday.
"Although closely challenged by Greece, Bulgaria retains the status of lowest ranked European Union country after a trying year marked by five months of major protests and political tension. Reporters were repeatedly the victims of police violence during these demonstrations calling for the government’s resignation," Reporters Without Borders said upon the release of the 2014 World Press Freedom Index report. "Independent journalists, especially investigative reporters, are meanwhile exposed to harassment that can take the form of arson attacks on their cars."
Slovenia, ranked 34th, occupies the leading position among countries in Southeast European (SEE), followed by Romania and Serbia.
On the opposite end, in Turkey, despite a few limited reforms, judicial practices continue to be repressive and the number of detained journalists is still at a level that is unprecedented since the end of the military regime, the organisation noted. "Around 60 journalists were in detention at the end of 2013, making Turkey one of the world’s biggest prisons for media personnel. Despite directives intended to limit use of provisional detention, journalists often spend months if not years in prison before being tried."
In Macedonia democratic window-dressing of the past few years is not enough to hide the many freedom of information violations, Reporters Without Borders commented, pointing as an example to a local journalist, who was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for revealing the name of a protected witness in a murder case, as his jail term was changed to house arrest under international pressure.
Journalists safety continues to be a major concern in Montenegro, as well, which has a tradition of investigative journalism that is more developed than in some of its neighbours, the organisation said. "The threat to independent journalists is not just physical. [...] Led by President Milo Djukanovic, a wealthy and controversial businessman and former associate of Slobodan Milosevic, the Democratic Socialist Party (DPS) that has ruled Montenegro for nearly 20 years wages full-blown hate campaigns against independent journalists."
In Albania, the ruling Socialist Party has ambitious plans to draft new legislation that improves media ownership transparency, reinforce the Albanian public broadcaster’s independence and guarantee media access to information held by state entities, Reporters without Borders said.
Here's how the SEE countries ranked in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index.
Rank |
Country |
34 |
Slovenia |
45 |
Romania |
54 |
Serbia |
65 |
Croatia |
66 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
80 |
Kosovo |
85 |
Albania |
100 |
Bulgaria |
114 |
Montenegro |
123 |
Macedonia |
154 |
Turkey |
Reporters Without Borders, or Reporters Sans Frontières, is a France-based international non-profit, non-governmental organisation promoting and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press.