No security and stability without freedom of expression, says Head of OSCE Centre in Kazakhstan

ALMATY, 18 June 2002 - Ambassador Heinrich Haupt, Head of the OSCE Centre in Almaty, said today at a media conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan, that there was no true security and stability without freedom of expression. The conference, which focussed on the challenges faced by mass media in contemporary Kazakhstan, was co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Almaty.

The event, which included participants from leading international media organizations, members of the Kazakh Parliament, journalists from other Central Asian countries and representatives of the country's political parties and local non-governmental organizations, included discussions on the problem of ethics in journalism and reforms of the restrictive legal framework for media in Kazakhstan.

Three major documents were presented to address the discussed challenges:

• The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Report on Kazakhstan of 30 May 2002, presenting the current state of mass media in Kazakhstan as well as a set of recommendations;
• The "Memorandum on the Laws in Kazakhstan Regulating Mass Media", which was prepared for the conference by Article 19/Global Campaign for Free Expression. For the first time since the adoption of the new media law, a comprehensive package of proposals was presented, making it possible to bring the law into conformity with international standards;
• The Visegrad Guidelines on ethics for journalists, which were prepared with the assistance of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the British Government.

The conference was organized by the OSCE Centre in Almaty, the European Commission Delegation in Kazakhstan, the International Foundation for the Protection of Freedom of Expression Adil Soz, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Kazakhstan. Financial support was given by the Governments of Germany and the United Kingdom.