OSCE Mission to Serbia awarded for promoting right of free access to information

On occasion of the International Right to Know Day, Ambassador Peter Burkhard, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, collected an award from the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data Rodoljub Sabic, on 29 September 2014, for the Mission’s contribution to promoting the right of free access to information of public importance in Serbia. 

“The battle between secrecy and openness is fought throughout the world, from the staunchest democracies to the most repressive regimes,” said Ambassador Burkhard.  “The right to know and have access to information necessary for life and for the exercise of choice is too often sacrificed in the name of national security or in order to protect entrenched political interests.”

In 2003 and 2004 the Mission supported Serbia’s Government in adopting the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance. The Mission also assisted in holding public debates on the draft Law. Since 2004, the Mission has worked to promote the implementation of the Law and has trained more than 300 journalists from the country on how to use the Law in their investigative journalism work.

The Office of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data also presented the awards to Belgrade municipality of Zvezdara for transparency in its work and the town of Smederevo for producing the best information booklet on the work of public authorities.

The Award Committee comprised representatives from the Association of Serbian Journalists (UNS), the Association of Independent Serbian Journalists (NUNS), civil society and academia.