Modernization of media legislation focus of OSCE-organized seminar in Turkmenistan

On 27 and 28 October 2021, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized an online seminar on legal aspects of the dissemination of information in the digital age.

The two-day event brought together representatives from the Mejlis (lower chamber) of the Milli Gengesh (parliament), the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Bar Association, the Institute of State, Law and Democracy, higher education institutions, and journalists representing national media.

Experts from Germany and Georgia presented relevant international standards, OSCE commitments and best practices of other OSCE participating States and discussed legal functions and responsibilities of internet intermediaries and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms on free expression on the internet.

“Freedom of the media and free access to information are particularly important in the digital age. Rapidly evolving new technologies have contributed to the media's role in protecting democracy, peace and stability,” said William Leaf, Officer-in-Charge at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

He also referred to the Declaration of the 14th Central Asia Media Conference, which emphasized “the actual benefits that the internet offers” and called on “governments to ensure protection of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and freedom of information by adopting appropriate laws, policies and practices and by ensuring independent judicial oversight and effective public scrutiny of their implementation”.

The seminar also addressed the regulation of internet content, including regulation of defamation and hate speech and fighting fake news. Participants shared views on the role and functions of journalists in the digital age and stressed the importance of media literacy.