Saturday, April 4 2020 10:49

ArmInfo.Some governments are using the need to combat misinformation, panic and social unrest in connection with global problems caused by the COVID-19 virus as an  excuse to introduce disproportionate restrictions on freedom of the  press.

This approach is counterproductive and should be discontinued.  This is stated in a statement by the Council of Europe Commissioner  for Human Rights, DuniMiyatovic, posted on the CoE website.   According to the Commissioner, especially during a crisis, it is  necessary to protect the freedoms and rights that are dear to  everyone. “In recent weeks, parliaments, governments, and local  governments of some countries have adopted laws, decrees, or  decisions that clearly run the risk of hindering the work of  journalists and media representatives, restricting the right of the  general public to receive information,” the statement said.  In  particular, according to her, in Armenia a number of newspapers and  websites had to delete some information after the adoption of strict  rules prohibiting the publication of medical and epidemiological  information about the outbreak of the virus, which does not fully  comply with official sources.

Journalists covering the pandemic in Hungary and the Russian  Federation face various sanctions, including the risk, under the new  laws, of imprisonment of up to five years for disseminating “false  information”, while recent amendments impose an obligation on the  owners of news websites in Azerbaijan take measures to prevent the  spread of "harmful information" on the Internet. In Romania, a new  decree allows authorities to remove content and block websites  containing “false information” about the distribution of COVID-19 and  preventive measures, without the possibility of appealing against  such restrictive measures. Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently  considering various legislative initiatives related to the  introduction of penalties for disseminating information that could  cause panic. These initiatives also pose a risk of restricting the  work of journalists and freedom of expression on social networks.   “As a result of the measures taken by countries to combat the  pandemic, access to information is becoming increasingly difficult.  However, as stated in a recent Joint Statement by international  experts, journalism has a critical function during a public health  emergency. Despite the fact that timely information is necessary for  society to understand the dangers and take protective measures at the  individual level, several Member States have observed phenomena such  as information filtering and untimely responses to requests regarding  freedom of information. In the Czech Republic, Serbia and Italy,  there have been reports of cases where journalists were not allowed  to attend press conferences, receive information from health  authorities or document the actions of law enforcement officials. It  is also extremely important that journalists can carry out their  activities in a safe environment without fear of persecution or  attacks, as emphasized in Recommendation (2016) 4 of the Committee of  Ministers on the protection of journalism and the safety of  journalists and other media entities. However, in Turkey, several  journalists were detained in response to reports on COVID-19. In  Slovenia, a journalist who filed an information request about  measures taken by the government to combat a pandemic became the  target of a slanderous media campaign close to the political party  leading the government coalition. There is no doubt that governments  face unprecedented challenges during this pandemic. However, this  cannot justify pressure on the press and, therefore, to limit  people's access to information. Journalists and media representatives  perform irreplaceable work that serves the public good. Their work  should be protected, not limited. Therefore, I urge all Council of  Europe member states to maintain freedom of the press and the media  and to ensure that measures to combat disinformation are taken only  when necessary, and that they are proportionate and subjec rights  institutions. Under no circumstances should anti-disinformation  measures prevent journalists and media workers from doing their work  or leading to excessive restriction or blocking of Internet content.   Countries that have already imposed restrictions that do not meet  these standards should immediately cancel them, ”the Commissioner  said in his statement.