Judicial Council Decides on AJM’s Complaint: Public Reprimand for Judge Spirovska Paneva

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) held a press conference today to publicly present the Judicial Council’s decision, marking an important step for media freedom and the safety of journalists in Macedonia.

On October 10 this year, the Judicial Council issued a disciplinary measure—a public reprimand—for Judge Jovanka Spirovska Paneva, confirming that she unlawfully barred public access to a hearing in the case between businessman Kocho Angjushev and journalist Ms. Cvetkovska regarding the “Ferroinvest vs. IRL” case, effectively preventing journalists from informing the public about this important court proceeding.

The Judicial Council’s decision clearly states, “Excluding the public from court hearings constitutes a severe violation of transparency and the right to information, which is essential for media freedom.”

AJM Director Dragan Sekulovski highlighted that Judge Spirovska Paneva’s actions in excluding journalists from the courtroom constituted a direct assault on media freedom, which is why the Council’s decision sets a positive example for safeguarding freedom of expression.

“This conduct by Judge Spirovska Paneva is considered a serious professional error and a direct attack on media freedoms, in violation of the Law on Civil Procedure. For this reason, the decision represents a turning point for the media community. It sends a clear message that the freedom to inform must be protected. At the same time, this is a step toward ensuring transparency in judicial proceedings and that laws must be upheld by all judges,” Sekulovski said.

On October 19, 2023, AJM filed a complaint with the Judicial Council, calling for accountability from Judge Spirovska Paneva due to her exclusion of the public from the hearing in the aforementioned case, as well as initiating disciplinary proceedings. AJM actively participated in all four hearings before a committee of three judges, presenting relevant evidence confirming the judge’s improper conduct.

The Judicial Council’s decision underscores that the safety and freedom of journalists are fundamental to democratic processes, and transparency in judicial authorities is essential.

AJM has invested substantial effort in this case, and the final decision reaffirms the importance of public interest and the right to information from court proceedings, sending a message to all judges.

The case relates to the report “Conspiracy Against the Air,” published on August 13, 2023, by the Investigative Reporting Lab (IRL). Reactions to the case prompted protests from journalists and media workers, who publicly expressed their frustration with the injustices.

Additionally, the ruling against IRL, in which the court assumed the authority to determine who may and may not be a journalist, sparked intense reactions from the European Federation of Journalists.

Therefore, we believe that the Judicial Council’s decision to issue a disciplinary measure will encourage judicial authorities to recognize and protect the importance of freedom of expression and public interest in the future.