* Chairperson condemns new restrictions on freedom of assembly and association in Belarus

VILNIUS, 24 October 2011 - The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, today condemned newly adopted amendments to existing laws on public assemblies and the security services, saying they will further limit the fundamental freedoms of assembly and association in Belarus.

"I call on President Aleksandr Lukashenko not to sign these amendments into law and to refrain from further contravening OSCE commitments, which he himself reaffirmed less than a year ago, by imposing new restrictions on civil society in Belarus,” Ažubalis said. "I am deeply concerned over these new restrictions on civil liberties in Belarus and call, once again, on the Belarusian President to allow a vibrant civil society and cease political persecutions. By worsening the human rights situation in the country and systematically limiting fundamental freedoms, Belarus can only isolate itself further from the international arena".

On 3 October, the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament adopted three draft amendments, including one that increases the powers of the State Security Committee. Two others, which change crucial provisions of the Law on Mass Events and the Law on Public Associations, were approved by the upper chamber of Parliament on 21 October.

Amendments to the Law on Mass Events prohibit the "presence of people in pre-determined public space at a scheduled time to perform pre-determined actions organized for public expressions of their social political interests or protest" and severely limit possible locations for even sanctioned assemblies.

Changes to the Law on Public Associations, among others, restrict the ability for Belarusian public organizations to engage with foreign and international civil society organizations and prohibit the holding of bank accounts abroad.

They introduce changes both into the Criminal Code (criminalizing the receipt of foreign aid and any violation of the order to organize or conduct mass events) and into the Administrative Law (limiting freedom of association and assembly).

On 2 August 2011, Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, officially warned the Belarusian authorities against further restricting fundamental freedoms of assembly, and offered assistance in bringing Belarus’ legislation in line with the country’s international commitments.

Since becoming OSCE Chairperson in January 2011, Ažubalis has met regularly with representatives of Belarusian civil society in exile. In June in Vilnius he opened the House of United Belarus, a facility for Belarusian non-governmental organizations, academics and intellectuals who wish to continue their work in exile.

For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit: http://www.osce.org/cio/84273

* OSCE observers assess Bulgarian elections positively, but raise concerns about vote-buying, media coverage

SOFIA, 24 October 2011 – In a statement issued today, the observer mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) made an overall positive assessment of yesterday’s presidential and municipal elections, but said continued reform is needed to address concerns such as pervasive allegations of vote-buying and the near absence of any editorial coverage of the campaign in the media.

“These elections provided voters with a wide choice of political options, and they took place in an environment which showed respect for fundamental freedoms,” said Vadim Zhdanovich, the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission.

But he stressed that further efforts are needed to enhance the integrity of the election process and increase public confidence.

The observers noted that the elections were administered in an overall professional manner and on the basis of new legislation that provides a sound basis for the conduct of democratic elections.

The registration process was inclusive, and candidates were able to campaign freely and without impediments.

But persistent and widespread allegations of vote-buying undermined confidence in the election process, despite the authorities’ efforts to combat such practices.

Almost all campaign coverage by the media was paid for by the contestants, as provided by law. This resulted in the near absence of independent editorial coverage or analysis of the campaign in the public and private media. The predominance of paid campaign coverage impacted negatively on the level of information available to voters.

Provisions restricting the use of minority languages in the campaign disadvantage minority groups and appear to be at odds with OSCE commitments.

There were allegations that minorities, especially Roma, were particularly susceptible to undue influence such as vote-buying and pressure. Some contestants used nationalistic and inflammatory language against minorities.

Voting, counting and tabulation appeared to proceed in a calm, orderly and professional manner, with a few procedural problems noted. Processing of voters was often slow, resulting in queues and in an extension of voting hours.

For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit: http://www.osce.org/odihr/84274

* OSCE Mission in Kosovo condemns killing in Dobrushë/Dobruša

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 21 October 2011 – The Acting Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Edward Joseph, condemned today the killing of one Kosovo Serb and the wounding of two others in Dobrushë/Dobruša village in western Kosovo.

“This shocking act tears at our conscience. The use of violence in the course of disputes is both unacceptable and an affront to Kosovo’s developing democracy,” said Joseph.

“I express my deepest condolences to the family of the deceased, Miško Komatina, and I wish a speedy recovery to the other victims, Draško Ojdanić and Dejan Bogićević.”

The shooting incident occurred mid-day yesterday in Dobrushë/Dobruša village.

“It is encouraging that the police have a suspect in custody as of this morning and we are hopeful that justice will be served,” added Joseph.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo promotes human rights and the safety of all people living in Kosovo.

For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit: http://www.osce.org/kosovo/84225

* Lithuania should decriminalize defamation, says OSCE media freedom representative

VIENNA, 24 October 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, expressed concern at the criminal defamation trial of Dainius Radzevičius, the Chairman of the Lithuanian Union of Journalists, that started in Vilnius today.

“Radzevičius is accused of defamation for expressing an opinion in his blog on the alleged behaviour of some media outlets. Matters of such public importance and interest should be allowed to be discussed freely and with the highest degree of legal protection,” said Mijatović.

Vitas Tomkus, the owner of Respublika newspaper, filed criminal defamation charges against Radzevičius for comments made in his blog in reference to a diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks. The cable claimed that some Lithuanian media coerced advertisers into placing ads by threatening them with smear campaigns. Respublika was mentioned in the cable as an example of this bad practice.

“This case illustrates the need for Lithuania, the current OSCE Chairmanship, to abolish criminal defamation laws altogether, in order to relieve its media from the ‘chilling’ effect of those outdated provisions,” said Mijatović. “We see that even jurisdictions with a good media freedom record are not immune from criminal libel and insult cases”.

“It is a high time that Lithuania reformed its defamation law to encourage similar changes in other OSCE participating States. This would be in line with the Lithuanian Chairmanship’s own priority of media freedom,” said Mijatović.

Only 13 OSCE participating States do not have criminal defamation provisions. The Office of the OSCE media freedom representative has been advocating complete decriminalization of libel and insult since its establishment in 1998.

For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit: http://www.osce.org/fom/84309