Journalists still without justice for the attacks on April 27: AJM reacts to the decisions of the Court of Appeal Skopje
The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) expresses serious concern over the recent decisions of the Court of Appeal Skopje from April 2025, which rejected the appeals of journalists attacked during the violence in the Parliament on April 27, 2017.
This date will be remembered as a day when the rights of journalists and media workers were brutally violated. Instead of confirming that attacks and threats against journalists are unacceptable, the court sends a message that such acts can go unpunished. Such decisions undermine the right to safe and free journalism.
AJM also points to the controversial positions in the court’s reasoning, which claims that “freedom of expression” does not apply when there are violent events. This position is contrary to the previous three decisions of the Constitutional Court, as well as to the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution of the country. The Constitutional Court has already ruled once that such an interpretation is erroneous and violates the right to expression.
AJM finds it particularly problematic that the court minimizes the state’s obligation to protect journalists, suggesting that such protection should not be an “excessive burden” for institutions. This approach gives the impression that institutions are more concerned with their own commodity than with the protection of fundamental human rights.
Although the specific decisions of the Constitutional Court concerned a different case, they are final, binding and valid for all institutions – including the Court of Appeal. Failure to respect these obligations is a serious blow to the rule of law.
The latest judgments of the Court of Appeal Skopje concern colleagues Natasha Stojanovska, Biljana Nikolovska, Igor Jankovski and Tome Angelovski – journalists who are still waiting for justice after eight years. These decisions show that the legal protection of journalists remains weak, and the impunity of perpetrators creates fear and insecurity among all who report on issues of public interest on a daily basis.
AJM appeals to the judiciary and other competent institutions to review these decisions and ensure that journalists receive adequate legal protection. An attack on a journalist is an attack on democracy – and every such act must be investigated and sanctioned.
AJM will continue to closely monitor the development of these cases and will advocate for full justice for all journalists who are victims of violence.
