BELARUS: Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) representative on freedom of media Dunja Mijatovic calls on Belarus to halt short-term arrests of journalists

Record ID: 863349

  • Title: BELARUS: Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) representative on freedom of media Dunja Mijatovic calls on Belarus to halt short-term arrests of journalists
  • Date: 4th June 2013
  • Summary: MINSK, BELARUS (JUNE 4, 2013) (REUTERS) OSCE REPRESENTATIVE ON MEDIA FREEDOM DUNJA MIJATOVIC ARRIVING TO NEWS CONFERENCE 'OSCE' LOGO ON OVERHEAD PROJECTOR SCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSCE REPRESENTATIVE ON MEDIA FREEDOM ,DUNJA MIJATOVIC, SAYING: "I am here on the invitation of the foreign ministry and Foreign Minister. ( PAUSE FOR TRANSLATION) I value and honour this invitation very much.(PAUSE FOR TRANSLATION) I see it as a recognition of the mandate and the work I do." MICROPHONES ON DESK (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSCE REPRESENTATIVE ON MEDIA FREEDOM, DUNJA MIJATOVIC, SAYING: "The precondition for any development or anything positive happening in Belarus in relation to media freedom (PAUSE FOR TRANSLATION) first, short detentions (of journalists) have to stop now." VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS TAKING NOTES NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 19th June 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belarus
  • City:
  • Country: Belarus
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACLV1CLQ0UU6AXSMY0VTZKHAR2
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: The OSCE representative on media freedom Dunja Mijatovic said on Tuesday (June 4) that Belarus needed to stop arresting journalists.
    Mijatovic, during her first visit to Belarus since 2010, spoke at a news conference after meeting with Belarussian officials.

    "I am here on the invitation of the foreign ministry and Foreign Minister. I value and honour this invitation very much. I see it as a recognition of the mandate and the work I do," Mijatovic said.

    "The precondition for any development or anything positive happening in Belarus in relation to media freedom - first, short detentions (of journalists) have to stop now," Mijatovic added.
    Belarus has a history of arresting, and sending journalists to court.
    In April of this year a Belarussian court declared a set of photographs taken by a pair of Belarussian photojournalists to be extremist.
    One year ago Andrzej Poczobut, a Belarussian citizen who worked for Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza and is a prominent activist for the rights of the Polish minority in Belarus, was arrested in his hometown of Grodno.
    Poczobut was originally convicted of insulting Lukashenko in articles published in Gazeta Wyborcza and on Belarussian websites. He was later released by authorities.
    Mijatovic, who is from Bosnia and Herzegovina was appointed OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media in March 2010.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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