Unfortunately, the fundamental human right of freedom of speech seems to be under assault in a number of countries. I am looking forward to hearing the reports of the today's witnesses, particularly their suggestions about specific actions the Commission and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe can take to address these issues.
Professional journalists can face a deadly and dangerous job.
Reports show that 87 journalists or media workers were killed or murdered in 1999 and violations against the media were committed in 165 countries. The danger can be seen throughout the OSCE, both in existing and transitional democracies. For example, Serbian officials have closed radio and television stations, shut newspapers, and have been rumored to be behind programs of harassment and intimidation for foreign journalists. In Greece, media freedom organizations have repeatedly denounced a vast array of convictions to prison sentences for libel, holding that slander, libel and defamation should be covered in the civil code and that no citizens, including journalists, should face the prospect of a criminal record and a prison sentence for what they say or write. In Russia, authorities attempted to forcibly take investigative reporter Alexander Khinshtein to a psychiatric clinic for testing, recalling Stalinist times when dissidents were disposed of for years, or permanently, in mental hospitals.