27. 05. 2014

OSCE CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT OVER CENSORSHIP

27. 05. 2014 (B92) - The OSCE's media freedom representative Dunja Mijatović criticized today the authorities in Serbia for the attempted censorship of media content on the Internet.

At the conference about Internet, held in Stockholm, Dunja Mijatović called on the Serbian authorities to foster uncensored debate on matters of public interest, especially in times of crisis, such as the flood situation in the region.

"I am deeply concerned by reports that websites and online content were blocked. This is a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression. Internet is essential for the free flow of and access to information," she said.

According to her, in times of crisis free flow of information is vital to enable people to assess their own situation.

Dunja Mijatović warned that during the state of emergency in Serbia there was a removal of entire websites from the Internet, censorship of certain blogs, and arrests of individuals.

"Arresting individuals for blogs, comments, and other forms of writing is not acceptable. It has a negative impact on the general situation of press freedom in the country and can lead to self-censorship. I call on the Serbian authorities to put an end to this and stop interfering in the work of online media", said Dunja Mijatović.

She said that her office is ready to assist the authorities in Serbia in this respect.