You're reading: Russia obstructs OSCE decision on safety of journalists at Ministerial Council meeting in Kyiv

Russia was the only participating country out of 57 to oppose a decision on the protection of journalists at an Organization for Security and Cooperation meeting taking place in Kyiv on Dec. 5-6

As the OSCE
chair this year, Ukraine declared support of freedom of speech among its
stated goals
.

According to
high-level diplomats at the OSCE Ministerial Council who wished to remain
anonymous, Russia refused to accept any language referring to all forms of
media – namely, the internet.

Obtained by the
Kyiv Post, the document, titled, “Draft Decision on Protection of Journalists
in the OSCE Area,” Russia also wanted to include the clause in reference to
media, “registered in accordance with domestic law.”

Participating
foreign ministers expressed disappointment after Russia single-handedly blocked
the decision.

“Disappointed one side could not agree on a decision on
the safety of journalists,” tweeted the Swedish OSCE delegation. “Needless to
say, a very topical issue.”

Dunja
Mijatovic, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, tweeted: “Disappointed OSCE did not reach consensus on safety of journalists still and will remain my top priority, online and offline.”

Russia ranked 148 out of 179 countries in the
latest Reporters
without Borders
press freedom index.

“In Eastern
Europe, Russia has fallen again (by six points over
2012) because, since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency, repression has
been stepped up in response to an unprecedented wave of opposition protests.
The country also continues to be marked by the unacceptable failure to punish
all those who have murdered or attacked journalists,” stated the France-based
media watchdog.

In the same
index, Ukraine ranked 126th, 10 points worse than in 2011-2012. President
Viktor Yanukovych was inaugurated in early 2010.

Ukraine has also come under fire recently for
the way it treats journalists after some 40 people of the trade were shown on video being indiscriminately
and excessively beaten
by riot police during a Dec. 1 demonstration in
Kyiv.

Kyiv Post editor Mark Rachkevych can be reached at [email protected].