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25. 06. 2014

DUNJA MIJATOVIĆ CRITICIZES MOSCOW

Vienna, 25.6.2014 (Blic) - OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today criticized amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation that could further increase government control of the Internet.

"I deplore yet another decision of the State Duma that could further restrict free expression and the free flow of information on the Internet," Mijatović said in a statement.

She urged the Moscow authorities to seriously reconsider these changes because they threaten free media and compromise online pluralism in the name of fighting the extremism.

The amendments adopted on 20 June increase criminal liability for online calls for extremist activity to up to five years in prison.

According to legal analyses conducted by international experts, including the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), said provisions lacks precision and enable disproportionate restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms.

This legislation, warned Mijatović, may provoke fear among Internet users as they cannot legally predict if their exercise of free speech violates the law.

Reiterating that fighting hate speech and countering calls for terrorist activity is a pivotal objective of security policy, Mijatović explained that restrictions on free expression should be carefully defined.