OSCE Parliamentarians honour media freedom watchdog CPJ

VIENNA, 19 February 2004 - "By honouring the work of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), one of the best-recognized media freedom watchdogs in the world, we are simultaneously drawing attention to the thousands of cases of media freedom abuses which CPJ has vigorously investigated, and responded to, since its inception over twenty years ago."

So said the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Bruce George, in presenting the 2004 OSCE Prize for Journalism and Democracy to the CPJ at the first day of the Assembly's Winter Meeting in Vienna, a gathering of 250 parliamentarians from 50 OSCE participating States.

Since 1996, the Prize has been awarded by the Assembly to journalists who, through their work, have promoted OSCE principles on human rights, democracy and the free flow of information. Bruce George also said that in awarding the Prize to CPJ, the Assembly is also contributing to the efforts of the Committee to create an "environment more conducive to honest, responsible and fearless journalism."

In her acceptance speech, Ann Cooper, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said that by honouring the work of an international press freedom organization, the OSCE PA has sent "each of the journalists we defend a powerful message: that they are not alone in their dedication to a free press."

She added that the honour also sends a very powerful message to repressive governments.

"It is a message that some of your own governments need to hear: that democracy depends on a free press," she said.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, created by the CSCE Summit in Paris in 1990, is the parliamentary dimension of the 55-nation Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The primary task of the 317 member Assembly is to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue, an important aspect of the overall effort to meet the challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE area.