OSCE welcomes the release of Russian journalist

VIENNA, 20 July 1999 - Freimut Duve, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, welcomes the release of Grigory Pasko, a Russian journalist who was arrested in November 1997 and charged with spying. Pasko co-operated with the Japanese media on covering ecological problems of the Pacific fleet. A Russian Military Court sentenced Pasko on Tuesday to three years in prison but freed him immediately under a general amnesty.

Pasko has been sentenced for "disclosing classified materials," a worrying charge that could hinder other journalists pursuing sensitive stories, including those dealing with nuclear waste. One of the corrective functions of the media is to encourage a public debate on issues of concern to the citizens. First and foremost among these issues is nuclear safety and the ecological effects of toxic waste. These are the issues that Pasko was dealing with.

His courageous work has been applauded world-wide. Freimut Duve, who has intervened on behalf of Grigory Pasko, is relieved that finally he has become a free man. The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media supports the decision of Pasko's lawyers to appeal the sentence in the Supreme Court.