26.01.2010

WELCOME BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,
PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,
TO Mr MIKLÓS HARASZTI,
OSCE REPRESENTATIVE ON FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA

(Strasbourg, Wednesday 27 January 2010, 16H30, Hemicycle)

I am pleased to welcome Mr Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. Before assuming this important and sensitive function in 2004, Mr Haraszti worked as a writer, journalist, human rights advocate, university professor and Member of the Hungarian Parliament. His present mandate will come to an end in March this year, after six years of intensive and successful work.

Mr Haraszti, thank you for your availability to share with us your analysis and main concerns on media freedom in Europe today. I recall that you addressed this Assembly three years ago during the debate on threats to the lives and freedom of expression of journalists.

Today is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Media and communication services are universal today and it seems impossible, even for dictatorships, to conceal atrocities and crimes against humanity.

Information can be spread rapidly via modern technological means. But this is not enough. We must ensure that journalists and the media can disseminate information and ideas without interference from public authorities and regardless of frontiers, as Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights states, and we must ensure that no threats hamper their work.