Media discipline
Op-Ed: "Criminal law sets secret traps for media professionals," says Stephanie Vonarburg.
News about proceedings against journalists who ultimately do nothing
have done anything other than go about their work and carry out processes of
public interest.
The latest verdict in this series is the one against the reporter Alexander
Sautter, who wrote an article in the SonntagsBlick of July 6, 2003 about a
underground air force facility near Buochs. The
Sautter was also convicted in the third instance of military
Publication of military secrets condemned. After all
the scandalous sentence of the second instance (six months in prison
conditional) as excessive and referred back to the
sent back to the lower court. This correction by the highest court is
pleasing, but does not conceal the fact that the trial and judgment
hostile to the media and a modern information society
are unworthy.
In addition, other journalists are involved in similar cases.
proceedings; the most prominent examples are currently the uncoverers in the so
fax affair, Beat Jost and Sandro Brotz, both of whom are also
Reporters at the SoBli. They are also threatened with steep penalties.
To what extent their publication of a fax letter from the Egyptian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which for the first time a government agency
of CIA prisons in Europe confirmed, "with regard to the
national defense" (Article 106 of the Military Criminal Code)
remains a mystery. But Jost and Brotz are equally
two investigations have been opened: One of military justice and one
"civilian" of the Office of the Attorney General.
The Zug National Councillor Josef Lang recently submitted a
Motion to abolish Article 293 of the Criminal Code
to put an end to this type of media discipline. The
The Federal Council has accepted Lang's motion and referred it to the FDJP for clarification.
forwarded. Nine years ago, the Federal Council itself had already
The repeal of the obsolete article was recommended in the Councils at the time.
but narrowly failed.
Since then, several lawsuits have shown that legal articles
such as 106 MStG and 293 StGB inadmissibly restrict the freedom of the media.
restrict. In January 2006, the handling of Swiss
media laws even led to an intervention by the media commissioner of the
OSCE. For comedia as a trade union for media professionals, the
The deletion of the two secrecy articles is a major concern. It is the
It is the job of the state, not the journalists, to ensure that
state secrets - if they are worthy of protection - are protected
remain.
Stephanie Vonarburg is Central Secretary of the media trade union comedia.
