OSCE Meeting in Vienna Highlights Media's Role in Human Rights Amid russia's Aggression

On Monday, March 17, the First Supplementary OSCE Human Dimension Meeting "The Role of the Media in Conflicts and Humanitarian Crises, Reflections on International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law" began in Vienna.

According to the Association of Reintegration of Crimea, at the side event "The Role of Media Self-Regulation in Time of War" organized by the OSCE Secretariat, the Association's representative, Professor Borys Babin, emphasized the importance of further support for the projects "Crimea.Realities" and "Donbas.Realities" by Radio Liberty in the situation of the US suspension of relevant funding for these activities, which are directly related to media freedom.

Also, at the side event "Civil Liberties Under Attack by Russia" organized by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the OSCE, expert Olesia Tsybulko initiated a discussion on countering Russian torture of civilian hostages and prisoners of war of Crimean origin.

The event included testimony by Maksym Butkevych, a human rights activist, journalist and public figure who has dedicated himself to protecting human rights, supporting refugees, fighting xenophobia and discrimination, and protecting the rights of internally displaced persons. As a former prisoner of war, Butkevych has exposed the key narratives and disinformation campaigns used by Russia to justify the war.

The ARC experts also exchanged their views on the development of the situation with Russian-controlled "civil society structures" in the OSCE with Professor Sebastian Peirouz of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, who continues to conduct separate research on these issues.

Earlier, Fevzi Mamutov, a deputy of the Odesa Regional Council, spoke at the OSCE conference about the crimes of the occupiers in Crimea. He spoke about his brother, political prisoner Ali Mamutov, as an example of one of the many tragedies of the Crimean Tatar people.

Олеся Ланцман