International Press Institute (IPI)

IPI is concerned at statements directed against the Slovak media by Ivan Lexa, head of Slovakia’s intelligence service (SIS). In a 22 May 1996 report to Parliament, Lexa dismissed the findings of a committee headed by Ladislav Pittner, a member of the Christian Democratic Movement. The findings accused Lexa, the SIS and Interior Minister Ludovit […]

On 26 March 1996, the coalition government of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar pushed through Parliament several amendments to Slovakia’s Penal Code. The amendments allow for imprisonment of people who are found to have organized anti-government rallies or spread false information about Slovakia abroad. This new legislation states that those who with “malicious intent circulate false […]

Source: “Center for Foreign Journalists Clearinghouse on the Central & East European Press” (CFJ) The Romanian Parliament is expected to pass amendments to the penal code in February or March that would constitute a serious threat to freedom of expression. The amendments would provide long prison terms for such offenses as “damaging the reputation of […]

On 19 January, the Supreme Court of Poland sentenced Waclaw Bialy, editor of the Lublin edition of the daily newspaper “Gazeta Wyborcza”, to two weeks in prison and a fine for refusing to reveal the name of a contributor after he was ordered to do so by a regional court. Although Mr. Bialy based his […]

It is rumoured that the head of Russian state television, Oleg Poptsov, will be fired for his organisation’s critical reporting on the conflict in Chechnya, according to unconfirmed reports obtained by IPI. Poptsov could be dismissed because of Russian TV’s supposed lack of objectivity in its coverage of the Chechen crisis. State television employees support […]