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OSCE OFFICIAL CALLS TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS FROM VIOLENCE
UzReport.com
May 2, 2008 Friday
Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media,
called on the OSCE participating States on 2 May to protect press
freedom by curbing violence against journalists and abolishing undue
restrictions on free speech and reporting.
"In the past year, we saw a deterioration in two crucial dimensions of
press freedom - the physical security of journalists, and the legal
protections of critical speech," Haraszti said ahead of World Press
Freedom Day on 3 May.
Haraszti said he was alarmed that violence targeting journalists
in several OSCE countries was rising, and that such actions were
conducted with impunity which he said had resulted in "censorship
by violence". He called on governments to get tougher on those who
intimidate journalists.
"In revenge for critical coverage, or because of attempts to prevent
it, journalists have suffered physical violence ranging from beatings
to murders in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia,
Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia," he said.
"Violence against journalists is not 'crime as usual' because it is
meant to undermine a basic institution of democracy - the free press.
"Those who issue fatwas calling for murder of journalists and artists,
and those who contract murders of reporters should belong to the same
category of offenders. Both pursue the same goal: silencing the press
by violence."
He also called on governments to protect the safety of journalists
by effectively assisting them as they cover demonstrations, including
unsanctioned ones.
Arbitrary, politically motivated restrictions on dissenting or
offensive speech also endanger media freedom, Haraszti said.
"They range from labelling as 'extremist' the reporting, debates,
or criticism on controversial issues - which we have seen in
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Tajikistan -
to criminalization of historical or religious disputes, which we have
witnessed in Azerbaijan, Switzerland and Turkey."
"This is in addition to the criminalization of 'defamation' and
'breach of secrecy', which still continues to harm professional
journalism in many countries," he said.
Haraszti urged governments to abstain from arbitrary restrictions on
discourse in society.
"All tailor-made criminalization of speech content must be
abolished. This includes the special bans on historical debates,
as well as blasphemy. Anti-terrorism and extremism laws must not be
used to punish offensive or critical speech," said Haraszti.
"Actual incitement to criminal actions should be punished, but
broad protection must be granted to political speech, to the right
to discuss, dissent, and even deride, all of which are crucial in
democratic societies."
UzReport.com
May 2, 2008 Friday
Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media,
called on the OSCE participating States on 2 May to protect press
freedom by curbing violence against journalists and abolishing undue
restrictions on free speech and reporting.
"In the past year, we saw a deterioration in two crucial dimensions of
press freedom - the physical security of journalists, and the legal
protections of critical speech," Haraszti said ahead of World Press
Freedom Day on 3 May.
Haraszti said he was alarmed that violence targeting journalists
in several OSCE countries was rising, and that such actions were
conducted with impunity which he said had resulted in "censorship
by violence". He called on governments to get tougher on those who
intimidate journalists.
"In revenge for critical coverage, or because of attempts to prevent
it, journalists have suffered physical violence ranging from beatings
to murders in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia,
Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia," he said.
"Violence against journalists is not 'crime as usual' because it is
meant to undermine a basic institution of democracy - the free press.
"Those who issue fatwas calling for murder of journalists and artists,
and those who contract murders of reporters should belong to the same
category of offenders. Both pursue the same goal: silencing the press
by violence."
He also called on governments to protect the safety of journalists
by effectively assisting them as they cover demonstrations, including
unsanctioned ones.
Arbitrary, politically motivated restrictions on dissenting or
offensive speech also endanger media freedom, Haraszti said.
"They range from labelling as 'extremist' the reporting, debates,
or criticism on controversial issues - which we have seen in
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Tajikistan -
to criminalization of historical or religious disputes, which we have
witnessed in Azerbaijan, Switzerland and Turkey."
"This is in addition to the criminalization of 'defamation' and
'breach of secrecy', which still continues to harm professional
journalism in many countries," he said.
Haraszti urged governments to abstain from arbitrary restrictions on
discourse in society.
"All tailor-made criminalization of speech content must be
abolished. This includes the special bans on historical debates,
as well as blasphemy. Anti-terrorism and extremism laws must not be
used to punish offensive or critical speech," said Haraszti.
"Actual incitement to criminal actions should be punished, but
broad protection must be granted to political speech, to the right
to discuss, dissent, and even deride, all of which are crucial in
democratic societies."