Velija ramkovski biography of christopher

“Regardless of whether the tax evasion cases raised against the media outlets and their owner are well-founded, Macedonian authorities should avoid silencing independent media critical of the government”, said Norwegian Helsinki Committee Advisor Ole B.

Lilleås. “The amounts demanded and the conditions of payments seem to be designed to silence critical media.”

Closure of leading TV station critical of the government

The independent TV station A1 went black on Saturday 30 July , following tax evasion charges raised earlier in the year.

According to Borjan Jovanski, a former A1 journalist and editor, the “station spent 18 years advocating a European Macedonia that would be able to embrace its differences. Its enforced closure sends a depressing message about those values’ future in Macedonia.”

A1 was the most popular national TV station in the country, owned by Velija Ramkovski who has been targeted by prosecutors for alleged tax evasion.

He has been in custody for more than six m