Communique on freedom of expression and freedom of the media as a vital condition for tolerance and non-discrimination

The world is mourning the horrific terrorist attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in which 12 people were murdered and several people wounded. Eight of the victims were Charlie Hebdo staff: Stéphane Charbonnier aka Charb, Jean Cabut aka Cabu, Bernard Verlhac, aka Tignous, Georges Wolinski, Bernard Maris, aka Oncle Bernard, Philippe Honoré, aka Honoré, Elsa Cayat and Mustapha Ourrad. This is the worst single attack against journalists in the OSCE region since the establishment of this Office.

It is encouraging that the political leaders from all corners of the world and leaders of major religious communities condemned this brutal cold-blooded murder. Condemnation is not sufficient. Action speaks louder than words. I call on all political leaders to honor the memory of the victims by improving the safety of journalists and ensuring that freedom prevail.

The conclusions from the roundtable “Freedom of expression for tolerance and non-discrimination,” organized by my Office on 18 December 2014, have unfortunately become even more relevant today. I hereby reiterate some of the main issues:

The space for discussion and debate has transcended national boundaries and become global. Speech is also more abundant than ever. Opinions and thoughts that were expressed only within small communities and walled gardens now can reach a global audience in a matter of seconds. We need to avoid a vision of free speech as something opposite to the prevention of intolerance or other threats to social cohesion. In fact, separating them damages both.

Free expression and free media are precious instruments in order to facilitate the dissemination and discussion of all kinds of beliefs, thoughts and creeds. Nothing makes an idea more accountable than the fact that it has been widely discussed, questioned and criticized.

Read the whole article on OSCE.org.