Refrain from any type of violence, calls on hate speech and incitement to violence, as well as disseminating unverified information. The Human Rights Defender
In the current tense situation created in the country, mass media and the work of journalists have an essential role. The role of the social media constituting a part of the freedom of speech is also important.
The Human Rights Defender constantly follows the insurance of journalists’ normal activities. Their unobstructed professional work and protection is one of the safeguards of democratic development in our country. In this regard, hindrance of the professional activities of the Radio Liberty journalist and the violence against her conducted today are concerning. The investigation of this incidence has already been launched. Taking into account frequent cases of violence, the Human Rights Defender asks the journalists to avoid places where there is a real risk of violence or violence is exerted.
The Defender’s Office continuously receives calls from parents with regard to their clildren’s protection. Parents’ concerns regarding their children’s location and safety are particularly concerning. We reiterate that in the current tense situation in the country the participation of children in demonstrations and marches is not in their best interest. The Human Rights Defender continuously makes all efforts to guarantee protection of children’s rights.
Monitoring of mass media publications shows that in some cases they contain description of collisions or other incidents which result in calls of hate speech and violence in social media. Under such publications, some social media account holders support violence, including solving problems with weapons, and in several cases there are calls for "physically eliminating", "killing" police officers. The Human Rights Defender asks the media to remove every comment containing calls for hatred or violence, irrespective of whether they are posted by fake or real account holders.
In separate cases, there have also been such publications which are presented as verified facts and are based only on publications made by one side. Publications made on the basis of unverified information have also been seen. In this respect, we ask journalists to refrain from disseminating unverified information through their publications, especially when they relate to incidents about children's involvement, or relying on declarations made by one side and presenting certain situations as confirmed facts.
