Macedonian Journalist Receives Death Threat - Funeral Wreath

Photo: EPA/BGNES

Macedonian journalists staged protests in the capital Skopje Wednesday evening, following the death threat sent to journalist Borjan Jovanovski, Reuters reported.

A funeral wreath was received in the home of the author, known as a critic to the ruling administration of PM Nikola Gruevski. The message attached read ''Final regards'' and the sender listed was Todor Aleksandrov - a revolutionary leader of the anti-Ottoman resistance 20th century movement VMRO.

Nikola Gruevski is the leader of the contemporary VMRO-DPMNE Christian-democratic party, which has recently been involved in a wire-tapping and abuse of power scandal.

The journalist posted a picture of the funeral wreath on his social media profile and caused heated reactions by opposition leaders and fellow journalists, who staged a protest in Skopje. They gathered in front of local Parliament and left a wreath featuring image of PM Gruevski as a sign of protest.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) condemned the anonymous act and expressed its concern on the issue. Both the US and European Union also deemed the act as a cause for ''grave concern'' over the undemocratic processes taking place in Macedonia.

''After the suspicious death of the renowned journalist Nicola Mladenov it's all possible in our country,'' stated one of the protesters in an interview for BGNES.

Participants in the mass action carried posters featuring the image of PM Gruevski dressed as a terrorist and carrying and stabbing a bag labled ''Free media''. After the official end of the protest, some people throw red carnations, typically carried at funeral services in the country.

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