Ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, Davit Zalkaliani, the President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, made the following statement:

“Freedom of expression, a free press and flow of reliable information are critical for the functioning of a truly democratic society. This is especially true in this time of unprecedented global crisis. Now, more than ever, the public must have access to accurate, prompt, and trustworthy information.

It is to be welcomed that many media have adopted guidelines on reporting the COVID-19 crisis and it is imperative that they can gather and publish all relevant information freely. At the same time, public authorities should guarantee equal access to information for all media, as provided for in the Convention on Access to Official Documents (“the Tromsø Convention”).

On Press Freedom Day, I pay tribute to all journalists who are on the frontline and continue reporting during the ongoing crisis. I also call on all our member States to strictly respect Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights as well as the relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights and to follow the Council of Europe Guidelines on protecting freedom of expression and information in times of crisis” – reads the statement of Davit Zalkaliani.