News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Impunity for crimes against journalists in Russia is serious threat to media freedom, OSCE Representative says on anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya’s killing
Publishing date: 7 October 2017
VIENNA, 7 October 2017 – On the eleventh anniversary of the killing of Novaya gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya,OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, urged the Russian authorities to make more efforts to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists...
Online threats to female journalists require immediate action, says OSCE media freedom representative
Publishing date: 27 September 2017
VIENNA, 27 September 2017 – “Combating online threats against female journalists will remain at the top of my agenda as it is an integral part of the safety of journalists. There can be no freedom of the media without safety,” said the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir, opening the first of a series of workshops on the online safety of female journalists, which concluded in Vienna today...
Welcoming release of Kadri Gürsel, OSCE media freedom representative calls for release of imprisoned Cumhuriyet journalists in Turkey
Publishing date: 26 September 2017
VIENNA, 26 September 2017 – “I welcome last night's release of Kadri Gürsel after almost a year in prison. The charges against him must also be dropped as a matter of urgency,” OSCE media freedom representative Harlem Désir said today.
OSCE Media Freedom Representative condemns murder of American-Syrian journalist Halla Barakat and her mother Orouba Barakat
Publishing date: 23 September 2017
VIENNA, 23 September 2017 – “Brutal killing of an American-Syrian journalist and her mother, both reporting about the situation in Syria, highlights the dangers that critical journalists face in their work,” said today OSCE Media Freedom Representative Harlem Désir...
OSCE Media Freedom Representative takes note of release of Ukrainian journalist Mykola Semena from house arrest, but condemns his conviction
Publishing date: 22 September 2017
VIENNA, 22 September 2017 –The release from house arrest of Mykola Semena, a journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has been noted by OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir, who however condemned the conviction and imposition of a ban on “public activities”.
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media welcomes release of French journalist Loup Bureau
Publishing date: 15 September 2017
VIENNA, 15 September 2017 – “I welcome the decision of the court to release Loup Bureau from prison,” said OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir, commenting the discharge of the French journalist from jail in Turkey today. “The next step is to drop all charges. Journalistic work should not be criminalized,” the Representative said.
OSCE media freedom representative calls on authorities in Montenegro to swiftly investigate death threats against journalist
Publishing date: 12 September 2017
WARSAW, 12 September 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today condemned a death threat directed at Vladimir Otašević, a journalist with the Montenegrin newspaper Dan, and called for a swift investigation...