Macedonian Journalists Protest Reporter's Jail Term

More than a thousand journalists and supporters who insist that Tomislav Kezarovski is innocent - and that his incarceration is a blow to the freedom of speech - protested on Tuesday in front of the Court of Appeals before later moving in front of Macedonia's government building.

They wore masks with Kezarovski's face and banners saying "I am Kezarovski" and "together we are stronger". Reporters whistled and shouted "freedom for Kezo" and "No justice, no peace" as they moved through the city centre.

The protest was organized by the "Board for Kezarovski's support" that unites, among others, the Association of Journalists of Macedonia, AJM, and the Independent Journalists' Trade Union, SSNM.

They urged President Gjorge Ivanov and Justice Minister Adnan Jashari to release the reporter.

"I am proud that we stand united and celebrate our freedom which is under attack. They can incarcerate journalists but they cannot imprison the freedom that we carry inside us. Kezarovski is incarcerated because this government cannot stand criticism. They want a monopoly on truth," the head of the ZNM, Naser Selmani, said.

Kezarovski himself appeared at the protest and was cheered by the crowd.

After spending six months in detention, in October 2013 Kezarovski was jailed for four-and-a-half years for revealing the identity of a protected witness in a murder case in an article published in the news magazine Reporter 92 in May 2008.

Since then, Kezarovski has spent his time in house arrest, pending his appeal.

On Friday, to the dismay of local and international journalists and rights associations, the Court of Appeal in Skopje upheld his sentence although it cut it from four-and-a-half to two years.

The police...