* OSCE Chairperson Ažubalis expresses dismay over conviction of Belarusian rights defender, calls for immediate release

VILNIUS, 24 November 2011 - The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, today expressed profound dismay over the conviction of prominent Belarusian human rights defender Aliaksandr (Ales) Bialiatski.

Bialiatski, the Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights and Head of the Belarusian Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, was convicted today on tax evasion charges and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in an enhanced regime detention camp with property confiscation.

“This case must be seen as part of a broader pattern of harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders in Belarus,” Ažubalis said.

Viasna has been repeatedly denied official registration by the Belarusian authorities following a 2003 decision by the Supreme Court ordering the dissolution of the organization. Although the UN Human Rights Committee found the closure of the organization to be in violation of Belarus’s obligations on freedom of association, all subsequent attempts by Viasna to re-register have failed.

Undue restrictions on freedom of association severely limit the work of civil society organizations in Belarus and put their members in danger of harassment by the authorities for what is in fact a legitimate exercise of their work as human rights defenders, emphasized Ažubalis.

“The actions for which Ales Bialiatski was found guilty are a direct result of undue restrictions on freedom of association in the country and his activities as a human rights defender, and it appears that the court failed to adequately consider Mr. Bialiatski’s motives,” he said.

Ažubalis repeated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of Bialiatski and other political prisoners and civil society activists: “I urge the Belarusian authorities to ensure the full implementation, both in law and in practice, of OSCE commitments on freedom of association and the protection of human rights defenders.”

The OSCE Chairperson also expressed concern over reports that the Belarusian authorities denied entry to international monitors intending to observe Bialiatski’s trial, saying that this casts doubt on the authorities’ willingness to ensure full transparency in the judicial process in this case.

OSCE commitments require participating States to accept the presence of observers sent by other participating States and representatives of NGOs and other interested persons at proceedings before courts, he added.

In addition, Ažubalis called on the Belarusian authorities to rescind recently introduced provisions further limiting freedom of association by prohibiting civil society organizations from holding foreign bank accounts and by imposing additional restrictions on their activities.

[For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit: http://www.osce.org/cio/85314]

* OSCE regional media conference on Internet governance and media pluralism in Dushanbe

DUSHANBE, 25 November 2011 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović will organize the thirteenth Central Asia Media Conference in Dushanbe on 29 November.

More than 100 journalists, representatives of non-governmental media organizations, parliamentarians, government officials and academics from Central Asia as well as international experts will discuss issues related to media pluralism and Internet governance.

Discussions will focus on the role of the Internet in promoting pluralism in the OSCE region and Central Asia in particular, new trends in Internet regulation related to access, content regulation, licensing and liability, findings of the OSCE media freedom representative’s report on freedom of expression on the Internet in the OSCE region, and the latest media freedom-related developments in Central Asia.

During the conference, a side event on the digitalization of broadcasting and its implications for media freedom will be facilitated by the Director of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Andrey Rikhter.

The participants are expected to draft and adopt recommendations in a concluding conference declaration, which will be shared with the authorities of the Central Asian states as a guide and reference.

Journalists are invited to cover the conference, which starts at 10:00 on 29 November at Hyatt Regency Dushanbe, Prospekt Ismoili Somoni 26/1, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit: http://www.osce.org/fom/85349

* OSCE media freedom representative expresses concern over the wiretapping of Slovak journalists

VIENNA, 25 November 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today expressed concern over the wiretapping of journalists in Slovakia and asked the authorities to ensure a prompt and thorough investigation.

On 21 November dailies Pravda and Nový Čas claimed that their reporters as well as the head of Slovakia’s news television channel TA3 had been wiretapped by the Military Defence Intelligence (VOS).

“Eavesdropping and surreptitious surveillance of journalists endangers media freedom, and is against international standards and OSCE commitments,” said Mijatović.

“I welcome that the highest authorities have condemned these actions and ordered thorough investigations,” Mijatović wrote today in a letter to Foreign Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda. She referred to Prime Minister Iveta Radičová’s public statement that wiretapping of journalists is incompatible with basic principles of democracy and rule of law.

The Representative requested the authorities to keep her Office informed on the progress of the investigation.

For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit