OSCE, no to criminalization of slander. Government must withstand critics

12/11/2015 13:40

The OSCE representative for the media freedom, Dunja Mijatovic,
expressed her concern regarding the government’s draft-law for
criminalizing slander.

Mijatovic appealed the Parliament lawmakers to not pass the article that foresees prison for public figures.

“The state institutions should have additional protection from critical speeches, and they have to tolerate a wider range of critics than common citizens”, Mijatovic declared.

According to her, the criminal sanctions for slander are exaggerated and it is impossible to implement them with justice. That is why they should be replaced by civilian or administrative sanctions.

She reminded them the Albanian authorities decided in 2012 to remove slander from the criminal code, a decision that was welcome by OSCE.

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