Press statements of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media

VIENNA, 25 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today published the legal review of the draft amendments on the right of reply to the Statute on Periodic Press and News Agencies of Slovakia, which was sent to the Slovak authorities on 5 March.

VIENNA, 25 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today reiterated his call for Ukrainian authorities to allow foreign journalists to pursue their professional activities unimpeded. His call followed a denial of entry to Marc Innaro, the Moscow correspondent of the Italian Public Service Broadcaster (RAI), and his colleague, who is a camera operator.

MINSK, 20 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today concluded a three-day official visit to Minsk. In his discussions with the Belarusian authorities, he called on the government to undertake the reforms necessary for developing a more favourable and pluralistic media environment...

VIENNA, 19 March 2019 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today said that new laws introduced in Russia impose excessive restrictions on speech and information on the Internet, and could further limit media freedom in the country...

VIENNA, 18 March 2019- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his concern regarding the incident that took place last Saturday in the building of the national public service broadcaster RTS...

VIENNA, 14 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today welcomed the bringing of criminal charges against Marian K., an alleged instigator of the murder of the Slovak investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnirova. The alleged instigator had previously threatened the reporter.

VIENNA, 8 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today called on the Ukrainian authorities to reverse the entry ban to Ukraine imposed on Christian Wehrschütz, a journalist with the Austrian Public Service Broadcaster (ORF)...

VIENNA, 6 March 2019- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed his concern about the high number of lawsuits filed against journalists and news outlets by politicians and public officials in Croatia and an ongoing dispute involving the public service broadcaster HRT. Both issues could negatively affect media freedom in Croatia, he warned...

VIENNA, 5 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, together with the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection for the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, today welcomed in a letter sent to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union the initiative of a new directive on protection of whistleblowers, but also expressed a number of potential concerns about the current draft text.

VIENNA, 27 February 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today said he is concerned about the detention of several journalists and bloggers who were covering rallies in the cities of Almaty, Zhanaozen and Uralsk in Kazakhstan...