AJM: Institutions must respond to the case of journalist Nevrij Ademi

The Journalists’ Association of Macedonia (AJM) today sent official letters to the Ministry of Interior (MIA) and the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) regarding the case of the journalist from Tetovo, Nevrij Ademi.

According to the indications of his colleague Ademi, on 19.08.2025 he was summoned by phone to give a statement at the Tetovo Police Station. At the station, during the conversation that took place yesterday and lasted two hours, a police officer received a phone call from a prosecutor who allegedly issued an oral order to seize the journalist’s mobile phones – a basic tool for his work. Upon the request of a lawyer and the absence of a legal basis, the phones were not seized, and Ademi and the persons present left the police station.

AJM believes that such conduct constitutes possible pressure on the journalist, a risk of restricting media freedoms and endangering journalistic work. In official correspondence, AJM requested:

• clarification from the institutions whether there was indeed an oral order to seize the journalist’s work tools;
• whether he was invited to an interview by a police officer orally, and not with an official note, in a telephone conversation and for what reasons;
  determination of whether such a procedure violated legal procedures and professional standards;
• taking responsibility and guarantees that in the future no measures will be taken that would endanger the right of journalists to do their work without pressure and fear of repression.
  AJM will continue to closely monitor the case and insist on full protection of the rights of journalists and the creation of a safe environment for their work.