Photo: OSCE
The OSCE Ministerial Council managed to coordinate and approve a document aimed at protecting journalists and the freedom of speech despite the lack of unity in the views of the international community. The meeting of foreign ministers was held in Milan, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page. The document was posted on December 7 on the OSCE website.
According to Zakharova, The Ministerial Council did an almost impossible thing. This decision was taken thanks to Russia’s efforts, she added. The document outlines the priorities in protection of the national press in the OSCE area presented by Moscow.
The decision states that the world community is very concerned about the practice of campaigns aimed at discrediting individual journalists and the media. This practice becomes more frequent nowadays and the area of its application is constantly growing.
The document also notes that the authorities of some countries follow the policy of intimidating media employees and do not respond to incidents of violence against them.
The Ministerial Council expressed concern about measures that threaten the safety of journalists and restrict freedom of expression. They include refusals to provide accreditation, bans on entry to different countries and deportations. Laws aimed at cleaning out the media space under the pretext of fighting propaganda also evoke anxiety.
Another important point of the document was the concern over the interference into journalists’ private life, which threatens their security. The Ukrainian website Mirotvorets is a clear illustration of this.
Russkiy Mir
