OSCE press freedom official offers Russian authorities co-operation on media freedom
VIENNA, 12 October 2009 - Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, said today he has offered Russian authorities the co-operation of his office to tackle media freedom problems.
Haraszti extended the offer during a three-day visit to Moscow last week that included talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko and Valery Komissarov, the chair of the State Duma's Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies, and Communications.
"Possible areas of co-operation include urgent measures to tackle violence against journalists; steps needed to restore pluralism of views in national television channels, including licensing of independent broadcasters and the creation of a public service channel; and the reviewing of legislation that reduces media or Internet freedom, such as anti-extremism and defamation laws, or administrative rules," Haraszti said.
"We have not yet received an answer to our offer. However, we were told that our proposals will be studied. We hope the Russian authorities will engage in these fields."
In Moscow, Haraszti also met media professionals, human rights defenders and representatives of nongovernmental organizations, including Lyudmila Alekseyeva, the chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group; Vsevolod Bogdanov, the president of Russia's Union of Journalists; Tatyana Lokshina, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Russia office, and Lev Ponomaryov, the leader of the For Human Rights movement.
In addition, Haraszti met independent journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek, who has been targeted by a campaign spearheaded by the pro-government Nashy youth movement. Nashy demands that Podrabinek publicly apologize for a recent article he wrote, or be deported from Russia.
"What Nashy is doing is not an expression of opinion. It is an organized attempt to intimidate and censor journalism. Such actions should be disallowed at their onset," Haraszti said.
Following a meeting with Oleg Orlov, the director of the Memorial human rights center, Haraszti said a recent court decision to fine Orlov for remarks about the political responsibility of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov in the still unpunished slayings of journalists and human rights workers in the Northern Caucasus region illustrated the need to reform laws and practices.
"Freedom to express a critical opinion on political leaders is the cornerstone of democracy," he said.
Haraszti also visited the offices of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper on the sidelines of ceremonies to commemorate the third anniversary of journalist Anna Politkovskaya's assassination.