Admin l Tuesday, March 07, 2017
VIENNA, Austria – Representative of Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe, OSCE on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today released a comparative study “Defamation and Insult Laws in the OSCE Region” which says criminal law remains an instrument to excessively limit media freedom
The study, commissioned by the Representative and conducted by the experts and correspondents of the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) is divided into two sections. The first section offers conclusions according to each of the principal categories of criminal defamation researched with reference to international standards on free expression. The second section provides detailed research findings for each OSCE participating State, including relevant examples.
“The existence and use of criminal defamation laws – alongside a set of laws aimed at offering greater protection to heads of state, public officials and state symbols – represent a threat to critical independent journalism and hinder the scrutiny of those in power, which is the legitimate and democratic function of journalism,” Barbara Trionfi, IPI’s executive director, said.
“I once again call on the authorities of the participating States to ensure that criminal laws do not stand in the way of free and pluralistic media”, Mijatović said. “Pursuing decriminalization of defamation has been the standing policy of this institution, as well as other international and regional human rights bodies in Europe.”
The study can be found at: https://www.osce.org/fom/303181
