STORY
The United Kingdom, alongside 14 other nations, issued a joint statement at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council, expressing deep concern over escalating threats to media freedom, particularly in Russia and Belarus. Delivered by Lithuanian Ambassador Vaidotas Verba on behalf of the informal Group of Friends on Safety of Journalists—which includes countries such as Canada, France, Germany, and the UK—the statement underscored the indispensable role of media freedom in ensuring genuine security. It highlighted the alarming conditions journalists face across the OSCE region, including physical and online violence, legal harassment, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and even death.
The coalition specifically condemned Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, citing data from Reporters Without Borders that nearly 150 journalists have been victims of Russian abuses since the invasion began. This includes 13 journalists killed, 47 injured, and 19 Ukrainian journalists currently detained by Russian forces, many arrested in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. In Russia and Belarus, the statement noted a systematic crackdown on independent media, resulting in the closure of nearly all independent media organisations and creating an information space largely controlled by the state. The coalition called on both nations to release all detained journalists and to cease actions that suppress independent journalism. The group reaffirmed its support for the autonomous mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, emphasising the importance of monitoring media developments, providing early warnings on violations, and promoting compliance with OSCE commitments.