Libel and freedom of information in South Caucasus focus of OSCE conference in Tbilisi

TBILISI, 27 October 2004 - Libel and access to information were on the agenda of the first OSCE South Caucasus Media Conference which ended Tuesday in the Georgian capital.

Journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia took part in the two-day event, organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, together with the OSCE Mission to Georgia.

"Libel and freedom of information - two of the main challenges to media in the 21st century - are crucial for new democracies," said Miklos Haraszti. "Libel is often misused by public officials, which has a chilling effect on freedom of expression, while the denial of access to information hampers investigative journalism".

Participants adopted a declaration which states that obsolete defamation laws are detrimental to democratic reforms. Georgia was praised for being the first country in the region to decriminalise libel.

The conference also addressed the issue of access to official information, with participants stressing that secrecy laws often contradict existing laws on freedom of information. Governments and parliaments were urged, among other things, to eliminate criminal defamation laws and replace them with appropriate and narrowly defined civil defamation laws.

The event was financially supported by the governments of Liechtenstein, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.