BRATISLAVA, March 23, (WEBNOVINY) — The Slovak Syndicate of Journalists (SSN) has been disturbed by information disseminated by the media about alleged wiretapping of journalists. Should these suspicions be proven justified, journalists will demand clarification of the motivation behind this move, reads a statement by the syndicate.
The syndicate is responding to statements by former Construction and Regional Development Minister, presently serving as an MP for the opposition SNS, Igor Stefanov, who said that forty opposition and coalition deputies and some journalists had been wiretapped, and that Interior Daniel Lipsic knew about it. In Stefanov’s words, the wiretapping relates to the effort to get power structures under control. Lipsic retorted that since serving in his present capacity, wiretapping has been regularly controlled and all such cases have been approved by judges and have therefore been legal.
The Slovak Syndicate of Journalists is asking respective authorities to provide a position toward this severe information as soon as possible and remains hopeful that the Slovak political scene will not sink to the level of its sad era of 1990s. Journalists meet politicians and come across sensitive information on a daily basis. Their task is to inform the public precisely about what is happening. Any attempt at limiting the work of the media, including wiretapping, is considered an unacceptable abuse of power against those whose role is in public control of the power, reads the stance of the organization.
SITA