Journalists must work in safety reminds OSCE Chairperson on World Press Freedom Day

KYIV,  2  May 2013 – Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara stressed the importance of the OSCE participating States’ commitment to freedom of the media and their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression.

“Regretfully, even in the OSCE region there are reasons for concerns about journalists' rights, including their security. Many of the attacks against them are never resolved, the perpetrators and the masterminds are not prosecuted. This is unacceptable. All journalists and media workers need to work without fear, in security and safety. There can be no impunity for crimes against them,” said Kozhara.

“The themes of this year’s World Press Freedom Day reflect every day work of the OSCE. Our Representative on Freedom of the Media supports the OSCE participating States in finding ways to ensure the safety of journalists, both online and offline, and combating impunity,” said the Chairperson, reminding that media freedom belongs to the top priorities of the Ukrainian Chairmanship. “Addressing the issue of legal framework to ensure media freedom would contribute to strengthening the OSCE commitments in this area,” he added.

An OSCE human dimension seminar on Media Freedom Legal Framework will be held this year. The OSCE participating States and other stakeholders will be able to share best practices and discuss challenges in the area of media law and policy, as well as strategies for better implementation of OSCE commitments on the national level.