Newsroom
OSCE reaction to article published by Dita 13 July 2000
PRISTINA 14 July 2000
PRISTINA, 14 July 2000 - The Temporary Media Commissioner has warned DITA that it has violated the provisions of Article 4.1 of Regulation 2000/37 and asked it to print a reply by an individual named and accused in the said newspaper on June 26th 2000. To this, DITA reacted with a front-page article stating that the Temporary Media Commissioner is "more interested in the freedom of suspected criminals than in the freedom of the press".
The OSCE feels it necessary once again to remind DITA and all of Kosovo's press that the aim of the recently-approved temporary press regulation is to ensure that all Kosovar citizens are protected from the kind of "trial by media" so clearly evidenced in recent DITA articles.
All citizens have the right to expect that accusations against them of criminal activity will be investigated by the proper legal bodies and that unsubstantiated suspicions or accusations about any citizen will not be lodged in the press, especially when accompanied by personal details.
It is a basic value of European democracies that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law through due process. UNMIK and its institution-building pillar, the OSCE, are here to promote and uphold this principle, which is common to all democracies. The freedom of the press is not limitless. It ends where another basic right is touched, namely the right to life. Under no circumstances should the media put someone's life in danger.
OSCE and the entire international community are as much aware of the necessity that justice be done as DITA's editors are. OSCE has been instrumental in helping to establish an Ethnic and War Crimes Court in Kosovo; has highlighted the shortcomings of the Kosovo judicial system and the need for remedies, and produced comprehensive human rights reports, such as those published in December 1999. In this light, DITA's comments are not based on facts but on polemic speculation. OSCE fully supports any investigation and punishment as long as this is carried out through the proper legal channels and in accordance with internationally accepted norms.
For further information, contact OSCE Spokesperson Roland Bless Tel: (+381-38) 500-162 or satphone: 871-762-009-948 ext. 260 / mobile: (+389-70) 250-576 / email: press@omik.org//www.osce.org/kosovo/
The OSCE feels it necessary once again to remind DITA and all of Kosovo's press that the aim of the recently-approved temporary press regulation is to ensure that all Kosovar citizens are protected from the kind of "trial by media" so clearly evidenced in recent DITA articles.
All citizens have the right to expect that accusations against them of criminal activity will be investigated by the proper legal bodies and that unsubstantiated suspicions or accusations about any citizen will not be lodged in the press, especially when accompanied by personal details.
It is a basic value of European democracies that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law through due process. UNMIK and its institution-building pillar, the OSCE, are here to promote and uphold this principle, which is common to all democracies. The freedom of the press is not limitless. It ends where another basic right is touched, namely the right to life. Under no circumstances should the media put someone's life in danger.
OSCE and the entire international community are as much aware of the necessity that justice be done as DITA's editors are. OSCE has been instrumental in helping to establish an Ethnic and War Crimes Court in Kosovo; has highlighted the shortcomings of the Kosovo judicial system and the need for remedies, and produced comprehensive human rights reports, such as those published in December 1999. In this light, DITA's comments are not based on facts but on polemic speculation. OSCE fully supports any investigation and punishment as long as this is carried out through the proper legal channels and in accordance with internationally accepted norms.
For further information, contact OSCE Spokesperson Roland Bless Tel: (+381-38) 500-162 or satphone: 871-762-009-948 ext. 260 / mobile: (+389-70) 250-576 / email: press@omik.org//www.osce.org/kosovo/