- OSCE Centre facilitates discussion to rebuild confidence between civil society, police in light of recent civil unrest

BISHKEK, 22 April 2010 - Kyrgyzstan’s interim Interior Ministry, with the support of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, organized a working meeting today with representatives of civil society, media, the OSCE and other international organizations to revitalize public trust in the police, restore police morale and discuss the Police Service’s development and legislative reform. 

Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: "The police retain primary legal and operational responsibility for the maintenance of public order. Both government and non-government interlocutors have highlighted to the OSCE the urgent need to restore morale in the police service while ensuring full respect for human rights. Today’s meeting is a vital contribution towards building a professional and accountable police service which meets international standards."

The head of the Scientific-Research Centre of the Interior Ministry, Colonel Shamshybek Mamyrov, added: "The recent situation in Kyrgyzstan has demonstrated that the current law for Kyrgyz police does not meet requirements for building a democratic society or international policing standards, and it is the right time to discuss police legislation widely with NGOs and civil society to consider their proposals and revise the law."

The discussion was organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek as part of activities to strengthen the institutional, operational and educational capacities of the Kyrgyz police in partnership with civil society.

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- OSCE media freedom representative calls on Azerbaijani authorities to comply with European court ruling, release journalist Fatullayev

VIENNA, 22 April 2010 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, called upon Azerbaijani authorities today to comply with a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling and immediately release journalist Eynulla Fatullayev from custody.

"My Office has always demanded that Fatullayev’s case be handled with two dimensions in mind - freedom of the media and due legal process. Now that the European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favour of the jailed journalist, there can be only one outcome - his immediate release," Mijatovic said.

The ECHR today said Fatullayev had been wrongfully sentenced and asked Azerbaijan to immediately release him from custody. The Court said it had found Azerbaijan in violation of Article 10 and Article 6, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Azerbaijan ratified the Convention in 2002.

The editor-in-chief of the now-closed independent Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and Azeri-language daily Gündalik Azarbaycan, Fatullayev was sentenced in 2007 to a cumulative eight-and-a-half years in prison on charges on defamation, incitement of ethnic hatred, terrorism and tax evasion.

On 24 November 2009, the Committee to Protect Journalists honoured Fatullayev with its annual International Press Freedom Award.

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- OSCE media freedom watchdog welcomes Ukrainian President’s pledge to support media pluralism, warns of negative developments

VIENNA, 23 April 2010 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, welcomed today the pledge by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to uphold media pluralism and honour OSCE media freedom commitments.

"I trust that your Administration will uphold and further develop Ukraine’s great achievements in the field of media freedom and pluralism. Ukraine should persevere in its efforts toward achieving genuine media pluralism by, among other things, granting the opposition full and unhindered access to the media," wrote Mijatovic in a letter sent to President Yanukovich on 22 April.

The Representative also commended the new Administration’s pledge to combat violence against the media as timely and expressed hope that it would translate into vigorous and resolute action to conclude the investigations into old and new cases of violence against media workers, including the murder of Ukrainska Pravda journalist Georgiy Gongadze in 2000.

Mijatovic also highlighted negative developments that could threaten media pluralism. They included Yanukovich’s decision to dissolve the national free speech commission, which was part of the presidential administration, on 2 April, and a change to the legal status of the new head of the state television.

"I would like to ask for your personal support in ensuring that this important advisory body, consisting of highly respected lawyers and media professionals who actively drafted liberal legislation and defended journalists, continues to operate. I also hope that the change of the legal status of the new head of the state television will not affect its independence and editorial policy," she said.

Mijatovic said her office would continue to follow developments in Ukraine, and offered support for reform of the media law. She added that Ukraine should complete the adoption of laws on public service broadcasting, access to information, privatization of media and ownership transparency.

"In order to achieve all this, it is of great importance that the Head of the Parliament’s Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information is a representative of the parliamentary opposition. This long-established democratic tradition in the Verkhovna Rada has always been a guarantee for the adoption of advanced media legislation," said Mijatovic.

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