Judiciary vital to protecting free expression, says OSCE Representative at seminar for judges and prosecutors from Turkey

VIENNA, 19 October 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today opened a seminar in Vienna on freedom of the media in the OSCE region for members of the Turkish judiciary.

“In far too many areas of the OSCE, free expression and free media face serious, and in some cases critical, challenges. Their protection should be a priority for every participating State,” Mijatović said. “I welcome the attention of the Turkish judiciary to this topic and look forward to this important series of seminars.”

Forty judges and prosecutors from Turkey attended the seminar, which focused on OSCE commitments and international standards on the protection of freedom of expression and freedom of the media, and the current situation in these fields in the OSCE area, including in Turkey.

“We are pleased with our fruitful co-operation with the Representative. This seminar for members of the Turkish judiciary is another fine example of this co-operation,” Ambassador Tacan İldem, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the OSCE, said.

Today’s seminar, initiated by the authorities of Turkey, is the first in a planned series of four seminars to take place in the coming months, co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the OSCE and the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.