Lithuania informed OSCE Permanent Council on its steps in promoting media freedom and safety of journalists
On July 4, at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting Lithuanian Permanent Representative Aurimas Taurantas expressed strong Lithuania’s support to the activities and mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Harlem Désir and thanked him for professional advice in helping to promote media freedom and freedom of expression in Lithuania.
Ambassador Taurantas has noted that Lithuanian national legislative initiatives were widely discussed during the recent months, involving the community of journalists, academics and other relevant stakeholders. He added, that in this inclusive democratic process, some legislative initiatives have not received support, while the others were improved, taking into account RFoM recommendations, in order to match the highest international standards of freedom of the media.
When commenting on the case of entry ban of the editor for Sputnik Lithuania Marat Kasem at Vilnius airport a month ago, Lithuanian Permanent Representative emphasised, that all actions taken by the respective Lithuanian authorities against Mr Kasem were in full compliance with the national and EU law, and international commitments, noting that Mr Kasem has the right to appeal this decision. “Though Russian state controlled company “Sputnik” portrays itself as a media company, for such reasons, as systematic fuelling of disinformation and hatred, its activities are banned in a number of countries”, - added Amabassador Taurantas, recalling the 2016 European Parliament resolution, where “Sputnik” was identified as one of the main information threats to the European Union.
Ambassador Taurantas has also referred to some international initiatives in the freedom of media field, that Lithuania supports, including a French led initiative on International Partnership for Information and Democracy as well as the Global Conference for Media Freedom organised by the United Kingdom and Canada next week in London. He informed that Lithuania also intends to join the Global Pledge on Media Freedom initiated by the UK.
On safety of journalists, a long-standing priority for Lithuania, Ambassador Taurantas recalled that the 1st RFoM Guidebook on Safety of Journalists was initiated by the Lithuanian Chairmanship in 2011 on the basis of the recommendations from the Vilnius Conference on Safety of Journalists held the same year. He stressed Lithuania’s support to the upcoming 3rd edition of this RFoM Guidebook, which will reflect recommendations of the 2018 Milan Ministerial Council Decision on the Safety of Journalists.
In this context, Ambassador Taurantas provided an example of a good practice initiative at a grassroot level leading towards the implementation of this OSCE decision – the establishment of the Committee on Protection and Monitoring of Journalists’ Rights by the Lithuanian Journalists’ Union.
RFoM Harlem Désir thanked Lithuania for its support for RFoM activities and greeted the initiative of the Lithuanian Journalists‘ Union which contributes to the implementation of the OSCE Ministerial Council decision on the Safety of Journalists. RFoM Harlem Désir also thanked for the Lithuania‘s input to the launching of RFoM Guidebook and noted that it will be released soon.
On July 4, at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting Lithuanian Permanent Representative Aurimas Taurantas expressed strong Lithuania’s support to the activities and mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Harlem Désir and thanked him for professional advice in helping to promote media freedom and freedom of expression in Lithuania.
