OSCE expresses concern over restrictions on the internet.

The Internet should remain free and access should

be considered a human right, the Representative of Freedom of the Media in the

Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Dunja Mijatovic said

on Friday.

At OSCE headquarters and during a presentation here, the 225-page report

submitted by Mijatovic expressed concern about the level of blocking practices

encountered in some of the 56 states of the Organization for Security and

Cooperation in Europe.

The report also noted that Turkey has decided to introduce a mandatory

Internet filtering system effective next August 22nd.

It said this would be the first such restriction within the OSCE region,

which encompasses Europe, Russia, North America and central Asian states.

However, the study was commissioned by the office of the Representative and

authored by Yaman Akdeniz, a professor at Istanbul Bilgi University who

measured the level of Internet content regulation in the OSCE area and

assesses national laws in light of OSCE commitments and international

standards of free expression and access to information.

The Study on legal provisions and practices related to freedom of

expression, the free flow of information and media pluralism on the Internet

is the first ever OSCE-wide review of laws regulating the Internet.

Mijatovic said the rapid development of Internet technologies and growth in

user numbers were factors that inspired the report, which offers

recommendations on how to keep the Internet open.

"We will use the study as an advocacy tool to promote speech-friendly

Internet regulation in the OSCE participating States," Mijatovic said.

"Some governments already recognize access to the Internet as a human right.

This trend should be supported as a crucial element of media freedom in the

21st century," Mijatovic added.

The study found that some participating States had problems submitting

information for the study because legal provisions or relevant statistics were

not easily retrievable.

It also emphasizes that this lack of clarity makes it difficult for users

to understand Internet regulation regimes.

Akdeniz expressed concern about the level of blocking practices encountered

in the OSCE region.

"Restrictions to freedom of expression must comply with international

norms. No compliance could lead to censorship," he added.

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