Such is the concern about press freedom in this formerly Communist country that 571 journalists recently signed a petition delivered to Parliament and to European leaders that accused Mr. Jansa of censorship. The petition supported by the European Federation of Journalists questioned whether Slovenia, which took over the presidency of the European Union on Jan. 1, was sufficiently democratic to represent the bloc of nearly 500 million people.
The public attack is still reverberating in this Balkan nation of two million people.
“It is embarrassing for Slovenia and for the E.U. that it is now presided over by a country that does not uphold European values of press freedom,” said Blaz Zgaga, one of two journalists who led the petition drive.
The New York Times