OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media meets with Ambassador of Kazakhstan

On 16 February 2021, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Teresa Ribeiro, met with Ambassador Kairat Umarov to discuss co-operation of the Office of the Representative with the authorities of Kazakhstan.

During the meeting, Ribeiro addressed the problem of journalists’ safety. Umarov on his part raised the issue of liberalization of Article 174 of the Criminal Code, which deals with the stirring of inter-ethnic, racial, religious, regional and social hatred.

Ribeiro welcomed that Umarov referred to a package of reforms launched by the president of the country, which deals, among other things, with decriminalization of defamation, development of laws on access to information, rights of journalists, and application of Article 174 of the Criminal Code. Ribeiro also underlined her interest in visiting the country and providing assistance on media freedom issues in the country.