Press statements of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
COVID-19: Governments must promote and protect access to and free flow of information during pandemic, say international media freedom experts
Publishing date: 19 March 2020
GENEVA / WASHINGTON / VIENNA, 19 March 2020 – In light of the growing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the monitors for freedom of expression and freedom of the media for the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, and the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe issued the following joint statement:
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media condemns brutal attack on journalist Angelov in Bulgaria, calls on authorities to investigate the crime
Publishing date: 18 March 2020
VIENNA, 18 March 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, condemned today the brutal attack on Bulgarian journalist Slavi Angelov, editor of the weekly newspaper and related website “168 chasa”, in Sofia.
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media welcomes today’s release of journalist Afgan Mukhtarli in Azerbaijan
Publishing date: 17 March 2020
VIENNA, 17 March 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed today the decision by the authorities in Azerbaijan to free independent journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, who was previously sentenced to six years imprisonment.
OSCE Media Freedom Representative expresses serious concern following indictment on terrorism charges of journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva in Russia
Publishing date: 17 March 2020
VIENNA, 17 March 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his serious concerns today at the ongoing prosecution of Svetlana Prokopyeva in Russia, after the regional prosecutor in Pskov signed, on 13 March, her indictment with grave charges of “publicly justifying terrorism” and submitted it to the Regional Military Court in Moscow. Prokopyeva, a journalist with Radio Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) in Pskov, is a contributor to various other media, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Russian Service.
OSCE roundtable and expert meeting in Vienna – the impact of artificial intelligence on freedom of expression
Publishing date: 10 March 2020
VIENNA, 10 March 2020 – The roundtable and first expert meeting on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on freedom expression, organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, concluded today in Vienna...
Journalists should not be detained for reporting on issues of public interest, says OSCE Representative Désir after arrest of 6 journalists in Turkey
Publishing date: 9 March 2020
VIENNA, 9 March 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his strong concern today over the detention of several journalists in Turkey...
OSCE Media Freedom Representative concludes the second Central Asia Judicial Dialogue in Samarkand
Publishing date: 6 March 2020
SAMARKAND, 6 March 2020- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, concluded today the second Central Asia Judicial Dialogue in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. During this two-day event, over 40 judges from the region discussed how to protect freedom of expression while combating violent extremism, terrorism and hate speech. The participants also discussed the decriminalization of defamation.
“Stay strong and dedicated to this great idea!”- In memoriam: Freimut Duve (1936-2020), First OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
Publishing date: 5 March 2020
VIENNA, 5 March 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir, and his two predecessors, Dunja Mijatović and Miklós Haraszti, today issued a joint statement in memory of the first OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, who passed away last Tuesday...
OSCE Media Freedom Representative publishes legal analysis of draft Ukrainian media law, with recommendations to authorities
Publishing date: 2 March 2020
VIENNA, 2 March 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, published today a legal analysis of the Draft Law of Ukraine “On Media”. This draft law was recently registered in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament)...
OSCE Media Freedom Representative condemns arrest of Sputnik journalists in Turkey, calls for their protection
Publishing date: 1 March 2020
VIENNA, 1 March 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, condemned today’s detention of the Editor-in-Chief of Sputnik Turkey and three other Sputnik journalists working in Turkey.