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Thank you Mr Chair.聽And welcome back to the Permanent Council in your new capacity, dear Jan.聽聽聽

In this fiftieth anniversary year, I want to start with the Helsinki Final Act.聽In 1975 our predecessors accepted citizens鈥� right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas.聽 Free, independent and pluralistic media should be at the heart of our societies and our shared security.聽Sadly we are still far from realising our predecessors鈥� ambition when it comes to media freedom and other fundamental freedoms in our region.聽聽聽聽

We believe early warning sits at the core of your mandate.聽We welcome your public statements on recent cases of concern and, in particular, take this opportunity to express our concern about the case of Mzia Amaglobeli in Georgia and the so called 鈥渇oreign agents鈥� law in Republika Srpska.聽聽聽

Since Russia鈥檚 full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many journalists and media workers have been killed. And over 100 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been detained or taken hostage by Russian forces.聽Furthermore, state disinformation, information manipulation and censorship in Russia and Belarus have reached unprecedented levels. Systemic repression has led to the closure of almost all independent media organizations and a media space largely subject to the State apparatus.聽聽

We call on both Russia and Belarus to release all political prisoners (including media actors) immediately and unconditionally, including those held by Russia in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.聽聽聽

In order to realise the ambition of 1975, every participating State has work to do.聽 I am pleased that the Security Committee鈥檚 May 2025 meeting will focus on security implications of information manipulation and interference.聽聽

And domestically, the UK looks forward to working with you on the safety of journalists, combatting foreign information manipulation and interference and global media freedom challenges.聽聽聽

We launched our National Committee for the Safety of Journalists in 2020 and the UK鈥檚 National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists was first launched in 2021. The Action Plan was refreshed in 2023 following delivery of many of its original commitments. Achievements under the 2023 Action Plan include updated Online Harassment Guidance for Journalists; the launch of a journalist safety tracker by the National Union of Journalists; and a Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Taskforce and workplan.聽聽

The SLAPPs Taskforce has initiated new guidance on SLAPPs for journalists. The Solicitors Regulation Authority who are members of the Taskforce, launched a thematic review on SLAPPs in April 2024 and published an updated warning notice on SLAPPs in 2024, to help solicitors and law firms understand their obligations and how to comply.聽

In 2025 the UK鈥檚 National Committee for Safety of Journalists will focus on three priority areas: enhancing the criminal justice response to crimes against journalists; supporting journalists and their employers to tackle online and offline harassment; and - with a non-legislative focus - tackling the risks posed by SLAPPs and other abusive legal threats against journalists.聽聽聽

The National Committee 鈥� co-chaired by the Minister for Sports, Media, Civil Society and Youth and the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls -聽 will also develop the next iteration of the UK National Action Plan later this year.聽

The UK looks forward to continuing to discuss developments of concern across the wider OSCE region with you as well as our domestic policy framework.聽聽 And the UK remains a strong supporter of your office, your mandate and your team.聽 Thank you.