PACE president explains what kind of reaction he expects of Yanukovych
Mevlut Cavusoglu, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, declared that the Ukrainian authorities have to react to the accusations of the alleged pressure on mass media. Cavusoglu made this statement at a press conference in Kyiv, reports UNIAN.
“The Ukrainian regime has to take clear measures, reacting to accusations of alleged governmental pressure on mass media. In particular, they should properly investigate the disappearence of Klymentiev, a journalist from Kharkiv,” said Cavusoglu.
He also noted that the freedom of the media was the best indicator of the democratic process, and the Council of Europe attaches great importance to this issue. PACE has passed many resolutions, recommendations, and decisions in this respect.
Cavusoglu also said that he had discussed issues pertaining to media freedom with all the representatives of the Ukrainian authorities, President Viktor Yanukovych in particular. “Their reaction was a promising one, but we will see how they will implement their promises,” he added.
Moldavan court sanctions the dissolution of parliament
The Constitutional Court (CC) of Moldova has passed a decision to dissolve the country’s parliament. During the session the court stated that “there are all the preconditions to dissolve the parliament and fix the date for an early election.”
The decision of the Constitutional Court is substantiated by the fact that the parliament has failed to elect the president of the country. The new parliament’s two attempts to elect a president (on November 10 and December 7), with the Democratic Party leader Marian Lupu leading the race, have both failed.
In both cases Marian Lupu was eight votes short of presidency. The Liberal Democratic coalition voted for him, but on both occasions the Communists would file out of the room, ignoring the vote.
According to the verdict, acting President of Moldova Mihai Ghimpu now has to sign the decree ordering the dissolution of the parliament, and announce the date of the new parliamentary elections. In accordance with the current legislation, it can take place no earlier than two months after the dissolution of parliament. On September 7, the relevant request was sent by acting president Ghimpu.
He made this decision after the failure of the September referendum on altering the procedure of presidential election. At present, the president is elected by parliament. Ghimpu insisted that the head of state be elected by popular vote. However, the referendum failed to garner enough votes to change the system, and the plebiscit was recognized as invalid.
Mexican journalists ask the drug mafia for an armistice
Journalists from Diario de Juarez, one of the major periodicals printed in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, appealed to the criminal groups operating in their region asking for an “armistice,” according to the editorial published on the newspaper’s official website.
The newspaper was forced to resort to this desperate action after unidentified persons assaulted two of its staff, one of whom, the photographer Luis Carlos Santiago Orosco, 21, died, and the other was wounded.
The assault took place nearly two years after another reporter of Diario de Juarez, Armando Rodrigues Carreon, was shot in the presence of his nine-year-old daughter.
In the article, the journalists explain why they appeal to the criminal structures rather than turning to the municipal authorities: “You are now de facto in charge of our city, the legal administration can do nothing to protect our colleagues, who keep dying...”
The newspaper is not going to give up and betray the principles of journalism, it just wants to stop the bloodshed, cut down on the practice of intimidating its staff, and conclude a truce. The data published by the International Press Institute (IPI) in early September shows that Mexico is the most dangerous country in the Americas for media workers: in the first eight months of 2010, ten journalists have been killed there, which makes up for half of journalist deaths in the Western hemisphere over this period.
