OSCE Media Freedom Representative welcomes French acquittal in cartoons row

VIENNA, 22 March 2007 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, said he welcomes today's acquittal of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in a trial initiated in 2006 by Muslim institutions for publishing three cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

"I am glad both that the plaintiffs used the legal system when seeking remedy for their hurt sentiments, and that the court decision solidified France's freedom of speech," Haraszti said.

The court found that the cartoons published by Charlie Hebdo were covered by freedom of expression laws and did not constitute an attack on Islam.

The French Freedom of the Press Law, created in 1881, foresees sentences of up to six months in jail and a fine of 22,500 euros for "offending a group of persons on the basis of their religion".

Haraszti said the trial showed that cases like this belong in civil courts.

"I do not see any justification for treating offences to religious sentiments as criminal acts, but advocate dealing with them in the civil-law domain," he said. "Only actual incitement to violent ethnic or religious hatred should be criminalized."

This was the second time that the cartoons initially published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten made it to courts in Europe. The Danish state prosecutor last year dismissed a similar claim against the editors of Jyllands-Posten.

"In a world of dissolving boundaries, it is legitimate to expect that the media be culturally sensitive. Self-regulation by the media is the right way to foster professionalism and global responsibility," Haraszti added.