Media freedom representative urges governments to keep Internet free, protect journalists against violence

The Internet has fundamentally changed societies for the better and should remain free, said OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, as she addressed diplomats and representatives of human rights non-governmental organizations at the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on 26 September 2011.

“The Internet is a fantastic resource that has fundamentally changed our societies for the better. It will continue to have a positive impact – if we allow it,” she said. “The lesson is simple: the Internet must remain free”.

However, an increasing number of participating States are taking steps to unduly control Internet access and content, she warned.

“Any attempt to hinder the free flow of information, disproportionally restrict the right to free expression, to block dissenting opinions or prevent critical voices from being heard will prove to be short-sighted because a free Internet and independent media – and I have to stress this – is a means and not an end in itself,” Mijatović said.

Turning to the issue of violence against the media, Mijatović reasserted the need for governments to bring to justice those who commit crimes against journalists as part of a strategy to increase journalists’ safety.

“There are numerous cases that need to be raised over and over again. We need to continuously repeat the names of the courageous individuals who lost their lives for the words they had written,” she said. “They are the vanguard for free speech, freedom of expression and, ultimately, a free and democratic society.”