The Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan on December 12 together with the US Embassy and the Public Foundation for the Support and Development of National Mass Media held a roundtable dedicated to Human Rights Day to discuss the freedom of speech and expression in the Central Asian region. The event saw media lawyers from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
In her remark, EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan Charlotte Adriaen stressed that ensuring the freedom of speech and media is one the key priorities of the European Union. The EU envoy emphasized that the 2019 EU Strategy for Central Asia stresses the importance of the free exchange of information and ideas on issues of common interest, and ensuring the transparency and accountability of independent media is one of the cornerstones of a democratic society.
The conference participants reflected on the situation with the freedom of expression in Central Asian countries, sharing their views on trends and forecasts, protection of the professional rights of journalists, regulation of the Internet - the work of bloggers, access to the Internet and access to public information - open and personal data, the openness of state bodies. Besides, parties stressed the key role of mass media.
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