Friday, July 26 2019 14:03

ArmInfo. The OSCE is impressed  with Armenia's progress in protecting freedom of speech and the press  after the velvet revolution. This was announced in an interview with  Voice of America by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media,  Arlem Desir.  

According to him, very impressive changes have taken  place in the country: "We are really encouraged by the registered  progress, and it is very important for us to continue cooperation  with the authorities of Armenia". Desir noted that the question was  already ripe for creating a more independent public broadcaster.

At the same time, Desir noted that he was informed of the presence of  fake media in Armenia, which manipulate various misinformation. In  order to solve this problem, he stressed the importance of assisting  the media producing better information. At the same time, Desir  considered an undesirable solution to the problem through legislative  adjustments, since this could adversely affect freedom of expression:  "And freedom of expression is very developed in Armenia, and should  remain protected".  Desir said that he intends to visit Armenia again  in November of this year and discuss cooperation issues with the  authorities.

Speaking about freedom of speech in the OSCE region, he assured that  "the spread of misinformation from Russia in some countries in the  OSCE remains a serious problem, while in Russia itself journalists  are under pressure."

Desir noted that the situation in Azerbaijan and Turkey is extremely  difficult in terms of freedom of speech and the media. <Turkish  authorities wrongly accuse journalists covering Kurdish issues of  collaborating with terrorists. I think that Turkey, 3 years after the  attempted coup, must finally show respect for the pluralism of  opinions and the media. And the Azerbaijani special services kidnap  independent journalists even from neighboring countries (Georgia),  after which they are tried in Baku, "the OSCE representative said.

Desir reported that he is following the investigation into the murder  of Hrant Dink in Turkey. He found it positive that several people  involved in the murder were convicted. At the same time, he expressed  dissatisfaction with the fact that not all participants in the crime  were brought to justice.