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 **  *****  *****    ***        COMMUNIQUE # 4 - 8
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**** **     ****** **   **      February 20, 1995

International Freedom of Expression eXchange Clearing House
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SLOVAKIA: PRIME MINISTER INSTALLS PARTY FAITHFUL AS HEADS OF
MEDIA

Since his return to power last fall, Prime Minister Vladimir
Meciar of Slovakia has installed his supporters as heads of the
two public television channels, the state radio station and the
official press agency TASR, says an article in the February issue
of "La Lettre", the monthly bulletin of Reporters sans frontieres
(RSF). The article, written by A. Dastakian, states that Meciar
uses methods reminiscent of communist times to control the media.
For example, "he regularly prohibits media from attending his
press conferences that do not appear to him to be objective and
he recently did not hesitate to approve the creation of an
association of `journalists in favour of the good image of
Slovakia.'"

RSF says the replacement of the head of state radio was designed
to depoliticize radio and turn it into a "cultural and national
institution," whereas it had previously been lauded as an
objective source of information. The new radio director is a
deputy of the ruling party, the Movement for a Democratic
Slovakia (HZDS). RSF says that in spite of protests over the
Prime Minister's actions, the parliament went ahead and created a
new Audiovisual Council of Slovakia composed of persons close to
the ruling party. Their first move was to replace the head of
state TV with another HZDS faithful. The citizens of Slovakia
have apparently already given up on state television and look to
the Czech Republic for news.

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The IFEX Communique is published weekly by the IFEX Clearing
House, Toronto. The facility is operated by the Canadian
Committee to Protect Journalists in partnership with the member
organizations of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange
(IFEX). Material may be submitted to the Communique at E-mail:
ifex@web.apc.org; Fax: (1-416) 867-1034; or Tel: (1-416)
867-1638. Editor this week: Kristina Stockwood. Subscriptions are
available by e-mail and surface mail.