CoE Human Rights Commissioner Muizinieks: Protect Journalists from Attacks to Muzzle on Issues !
* "Journalists need Protection" from various "Attacks", "including in Europe", seeking "Censorship" against "Democracy", strongly declared the New PanEuropean Commissioner on Human Rights, Niels Muiznieks (2012-2018), just a few days after he replied to "EuroFora"s questions Internet Media Freedom and ECHR's Future (See: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/coehumanrightscommissioneronwebmedia.html ), and the same Day that CoE's Committee of Ministers just started in Strasbourg to examine a crucial Semestrial meeting on ECHR judgements' application by all 47 Member States, including a review of numerous serious cases of Violations of Human Rights by Turkey (such as Torture, Murders, Arbitrary deprivations of Liberty, abusive Imprisonment, Harassments and/or Censorship, "Missing" People, etc, most Dating since the 1990ies, but partly "freezed" since 2009), notoriously pending for execution since too many years, in an interesting, well documented Viewpoint that "EuroFora" exceptionaly re-publishes, at variance to our general rule on Original only Journalism in News Reporting.
- The "intention" generaly is "to Shut them up and make them Stop doing their job, which can involve exposing Corruption, Abuse of power or Discrimination against various minorities. Media freedom is the lifeblood of a Democracy, as it is an essential prerequisite for other Freedoms as well, such as freedom of association or assembly", he denounced.
- Because "attacks on journalists are not like many other assaults, where the motive is frequently materialistic or racism. These are Political Attacks. As the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic´, has recently written, “violence against journalists [..] remains a Special category of Crime, as it is a direct attack on Society and Democracy itself”.
- That's why, all CoE's Member "States have a positive obligation to create a favourable environment for journalists to express their opinions without fear, no matter how uncomfortable those opinions may sometimes be to those with economic, cultural or political power", Muisnieks made it clear, citing the landmark "Dink v. Turkey judgment of the European Court of Human Rights", condemning Ankara on the ill-elucidated cold blood Murder of Armenian origin Web and paper Journalist Hrant Dink, (Comp. "EuroFora"s specific NewsReport on Dink's case at the ECHR, published since October 2010).
=> Therefore, "Governments and politicians need to signal very strongly that such Attacks are unacceptable and will not go unpunished. They need to initiate prompt, thorough and transparent Investigations and bring perpetrators to justice, where punishments should reflect the seriousness of this crime. If journalists have been threatened, the authorities should act quickly to protect them", CoE's New Human Rights Commissioner (2012-2018) stressed.
- Since, "even if a government does not engage in “old-fashioned” Censorship by screening and filtering media content, it can be involved in censorship if it does not take sufficient steps to combat violence against journalists. Impunity encourages repetition, which can be extremely damaging to free expression", he warned. For this reason, "a recent guidebook on the safety of journalists by the OSCE ... stresse(s) that “physical attacks and Threats of violence or Harm against journalists and members of their Family represent an extreme form of Censorship”.
- Indeed, "Journalism is a Dangerous profession, including in Europe", CoE's New PanEuropean Commissioner on Human Rights, responsible for 47 Countries, found on June 2012 :
- Among many other, older examples, only "since the beginning of this year (2012), journalists have suffered physical Attacks in Azerbaijan on a number of occasions, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania and Russia.. ..What were these journalist-victims reporting on? In Azerbaijan, the story was the demolition of houses and evictions of residents for government sponsored urban redevelopment. In Romania and Russia, it was anti-government demonstrations. In France and Germany, it was Turkish-language media outlets reporting on the Kurdish minority in Turkey. In Italy, it was stories focusing on Mafia affairs. In Montenegro, it was a journalist probing shady dealings in a tobacco plant", (etc), he noted, pointing at the Diversity of "Hot" issues which may be covered by certain Media.
- "Often, the perpetrators of the attacks are unknown assailants, usually several masked men, but sometimes they have been riot police or state sponsored security guards". But "the attackers knew that their victims were journalists, who were sometimes wearing press badges or held cameras in their hands. In another case, the perpetrators mentioned the employer of the journalist as they beat him. In Latvia, in a brutally symbolic move, the assailants put a knife in the journalist’s mouth and sliced his cheek, grossly disfiguring him", he denounced.
- "A 1st Step is for Governments to treat violence targeting journalists as attacks against the core of our Democracies", and, therefore, "with the utmost Seriousness", Muiznieks urged.
- Because, f.ex., "those of us who witnessed the end of the Soviet Union remember well how glasnost’ or increased openness and Media liberalisation opened the floodgates for the emergence of Civil Society and political Pluralism" in Russia, he observed the Baltic-origin experienced European Top Official, as a Positive Change regarding Human Rights and Democracy, to be further developed and followed also elsewhere, mutatis-mutandis.
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Renew Europe's Historic Legend with Parthenon's pure white marble at the eve of crucial 2009 EU Elections, was the ambition of an interesting Art Exhibition, with more topical Symbols than expected, organized by EU Parliament's 1st vice-President Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou and MEP Marie Panayotopoulos- Cassiotou, Chair of the Inter-group on Family policy, during March A session in Strasbourg.
According to the Ancient Legend, God Zeus, charmed by young Girl Europe, was trasformed into a strong Bull with Wings, and when she tamed him with Human affection, they flew over the Sea to live together in a New Land with large, fertile landscapes.
- "There, they saw the Continent with a "Large Front" ("Eureia -opse" in Greek => Eur-opse => Europe)", reminded the Sculptor, Mary Papaconstantinou, of the European Women Association, honored by awards in Paris, Athens and Strasbourg.
Thus, Europe's Legend combines Symbols of Energy and Strength, with caring Human personality, to bring towards New, large Horizons :
- "Modern Art for this Ancient Greek Legend here in Strasbourg reminds that Europe, placing Human dignity at its heart, always finds the strength to overcome any Crisis towards New achievements. And EU Parliament offers Citizens a chance to artfully interact", said MEP Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou.
Made by sparkling pure white Marble full of Symbols, they incite to think but also to act, as in front of a Book with half of its pages full of written text, but another half, free to write on white paper..
While several EU politicians think that one of the most important characteristics of the 2009 EU Elections is that from their outcome may depend Europe's Identity and Future, Culture Minister of Greece, Antonis Samaras (a former MEP) send the message that, precisely, such modern Art linked to Historic legends may help "EU Citizens search the origins of Europe's Identity".
- "The Legend says that they founded a New City, Thebes, and that reminds us that Europe is always a project of Invention and Creation", added EU Parliament's vice-President, Rodi Kratsa - Tsagaropoulou.
Sculptor Mary Papaconstantinou said that she "tried for years to find the same White Marble from Penteli Mountain that was used by Praxitelis and all those who created Parthenon", symbol of Democracy and one of the 7 wonders of the World.
- "By shaping this millenary Greek Marble to revive Europe's Ancien Legend with Modern Art, it reminds that Europe is a Hope for a better Future after Crisis, combining Energy for Development, with care for the Human person", said the sculptor's compatriot from Chios island, famous from French artist Delacroix's historic painting, MEP Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou.
Organisers of both events said that it was a pure coincidence. People are free to believe them, or hope otherwise...
**********************
They disagree in almost everything, except from one thing :
- EU Parliament's Art unites even opposed politicians in a common belief for Europe : Cyprus' example...
Rarely united together, but posing for "EuroFora" with the statute of Europe and Zeus flying over the Sea, ChristianDemocrat/EPP's MEP Yannis Kasulides, a frontrunner Presidential candidate in 2008, former Foreign Minister and Government Spokesman, and EuroLeft's MEP Kyriakos Triantafylides, Chairman of EU - Palestinian Council delegation, from the governing party AKEL (new Left) of the elected President, disagree on almost everything, except from their common claim that Europe of the Ancient Legend, when she flew with God Zeus from Ancient Phynecia to the West, must have crossed the island of Cyprus !
Hard to prove the contrary, 3.000 years later...
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