OSCE Representative highlights journalists’ safety, Internet governance in report to Permanent Council

Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, told participating States there was still much to be done to end violence against journalists in her last official report of the year to the OSCE Permanent Council on 29 November 2012.

“Our statistics show 140 journalists have been physically assaulted in the last two years in the OSCE region,” Mijatović said. “And there were at least 250 detentions and arrests of journalists over the same period.”

Mijatović said that it was encouraging that 15 OSCE participating States had now decriminalized defamation, but imprisonment still remained a punishment in many states of the region. Mijatović said that criminal defamation charges had been filed against 40 journalists in the last two years.

Mijatović also highlighted the need for governments to put an end to passing laws that restrict freedom of expression on the Internet. “Instead of attempting to enact restrictive laws, let’s turn our sights on efforts to provide training to regulators and journalists and consumers alike,” she said.

The Representative also noted that in February, her Office will host the first OSCE-wide Internet Freedom Conference . The two-day meeting in Vienna will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss good practices in Internet regulation and governance.