Joint statement by Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States on Ensuring Safe Conditions for Professional Activities of Journalists and Preventing Infringement of Their Rights

Unofficial translation

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan,

Reaffirming their commitment to the universally recognized principles and norms of international law, including those enshrined in resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, as well as in OSCE Ministerial Council decisions on providing safeguards in journalists' professional activities;

Taking into account the provisions of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Information of 9 October 1992, the Agreement on the Exchange of Materials of National News Agencies of the CIS Member States of 18 September 2003 and the Convention on the Status of a Correspondent representing the Mass Media of a Member State of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Other Commonwealth States of 16 April 2004;

Considering the freedom of dissemination of information and the citizens' freedom of access to information as a condition and tool for building mutual trust;

Emphasizing the paramount importance of ensuring, in accordance with national legislation, the opportunity for journalists and media workers to work freely, independently and safely, as well as providing media representatives with access to official sources of information about the political, socio‑economic and cultural life of states of accreditation, participation in press conferences and other similar events;

Striving to help shape an objective and complete understanding by the world community of the socio-political, economic and cultural life of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States;

Insisting on the unacceptability of taking restrictive measures against journalists in connection with information transmitted to them and disseminated by the media, except in cases of violation of the legislation of the country of accreditation,

Advocate the need to ensure the safety of journalists and media workers;

Emphasize that the right to freedom of opinion, expression and access to open information are the key pillars of the modern society as guaranteed by fundamental international human rights instruments;

Express their commitment to ensuring that journalists and media workers on business trips in areas of armed conflict be treated as civilians and protected as such under international law;

Reaffirm the importance of respecting the rights to freedom of movement within the territory of the state of accreditation, except areas and facilities for which a special procedure has been established under national legislation;

Advocate for protecting the rights of the media and ensuring their pluralism, and emphasize the unacceptability of imposing unjustified bans on the professional activities by the media and journalists;

Call on relevant universal and regional organizations, as well as specialized institutions, to speak out against impunity for crimes against journalists, media workers and related personnel, and to act on the basis of the principle of even-handedness and impartiality;

Consider acts of violence and threats of force against media representatives to be unacceptable and call for a fair and impartial investigation of crimes and accountability for those responsible;

Call on all interested partners to join efforts to achieve the goal of improving the safety of journalists, as well as to protect the right of every citizen to reliable information;

Invite states to exchange information, on a voluntary basis and in accordance with national legislation, on cases of attacks and acts of violence against journalists.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth Member States emphasize the importance of:

Further promoting objective and comprehensive media coverage of events taking place in the Commonwealth Member States and beyond, providing public access to a wide range of information to enable everyone to be assured of the reliability of the facts and to objectively assess the unfolding events;

Shaping a unifying positive agenda in the information environment, preventing the dissemination of news provoking inter-ethnic or religious discord and programmes with offensive content with regard to the peoples or national values of the CIS Member States;

Providing journalists with equal rights of access to official sources of information about political, social, economic and cultural life of the countries of accreditation, as well as to participation in press conferences and other similar events;

Creating and ensuring a safe and favourable environment for journalists and media workers performing their duties, including the prevention of infringement of journalists' rights on any grounds;

Condemning all attacks and acts of violence against journalists and media workers without distinction;

Taking appropriate steps to bring to justice those responsible for crimes committed against journalists and media workers;

Providing legal, psychological and financial support to journalists facing violence, harassment or threats.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth Member States intend to facilitate:

Strengthening cooperation in the field of safety trainings for journalists to help them ensure their own safety while covering armed conflicts, counter‑terrorist operations, and natural disasters;

Developing interaction in order to protect journalists from harassment on the Internet, including illegal actions that prevent journalists from carrying out their legitimate professional activities;

Regularly sharing best practices and experiences in the field of safety of journalists and the media, including with regard to new challenges related to the development of information and communication technologies;

Increasing the effectiveness of international cooperation in ensuring the safety of journalists without distinction.