Regular Report to the Permanent Council for the Period from 6 July 2018 to 22 November 2018
FOM.GAL/4/18/Rev.1 22 November 2018 ENGLISH only Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir 22 November 2018 Regular Report to the Permanent Council for the period from 6 July 2018 to 22 November 2018 Introduction Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present to you my latest Report to the Permanent Council. The period covered by this report is from July this year until today. During this reporting period, I have been stunned, again, by the exceptionally high level of attacks and threats against journalists, in very different circumstances. One event in particular has become the very symbol of the violence and risks journalists face. The murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, on the second of October in Istanbul, shocked the world, and all of us here, by its premeditation and horrendous cruelty. The responsibility for this terrible crime lies outside of the OSCE region. But, even had no such crimes been committed in OSCE participating States during this period, we cannot forget the journalists who were previously murdered in our region. Journalists are attacked because of their investigations, their reports, their opinions. They are attacked and targeted by many different groups: extremists, football hooligans, participants in public demonstrations, organised criminal groups, including those with political connection, and there are still cases of violence by the police—even if in many countries, the police protects journalists. Female journalists continue to be specifically targeted, especially online, simply because they are women. I am worried about a climate of denigration, de-legitimisation, constant accusations and threats against the press.
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