Safety of journalists remains top priority, OSCE media freedom representative tells Russian journalists

SOCHI, Russia, 29 September 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, said today that urging governments to ensure the safety of journalists, which is threatened by a climate of impunity, will continue to be her top priority. 

Mijatović spoke on a panel discussion on journalists’ safety and impunity in the OSCE region at the 15th annual convention of the Russian Union of Journalists "All Russia" in Sochi.

The panel included, among others, Russian Presidential Adviser Mikail Fedotov, Glasnost defence foundation president Alexei Simonov and Gazeta Wyborcza editor-in-chief Adam Michnik.

“This impunity from prosecution is caused by a system where government and legal authorities are unwilling or unable to condemn, let alone successfully investigate, these criminal acts,” she said.  “This, of course, causes further violence.”

“The wave of violence ripples across many OSCE countries,” she said. Mijatović estimated that in the OSCE region alone more than 30 journalists had been killed in the past five years, with many more beaten or threatened with their lives.

Citing recent progress in the Anna Politkovskaya and other murder cases achieved by Russia’s Investigative Committee, led by Alexander Bastrykin, Mijatović noted that the situation is improving in Russia, but much more needs to be done.

“Here, in Russia, where many problems have festered over the past 20 years, it is especially encouraging to see that authorities at the top of government are beginning to take a proactive role in solving murder cases against journalists, but much more needs to be done, ” she said.

While attending the conference, Mijatović discussed possible areas of further co-operation with Fedotov, who is the chair of Russia’s Presidential Council for the Advancement of Civil Society and Human Rights.