Extremist opposition groups in Syria abduct OSCE member-states journalists, says

Moscow favors the amendment of the mandate of the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, the Voice of Russia correspondent Ksenya Melnikova reports. “The new realities of the media environment dictate the need to update the mandate of the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, which was adopted back in 1997,” Lavrov said at an OSCE ministerial session in Kiev on Thursday.

“Russia has made a specific proposal on its amendment and asks for its consideration,” he said.

“The provision of security of journalists performing their professional duties and improvement of the relevant legal basis call for special attention,” he said.

“We are primarily concerned about multiple instances of violation of the rights of journalists working abroad, especially mass abductions of journalists, including citizens of many OSCE member-states, by extremist opposition groups in Syria,” Lavrov said.

OSCE should find comprehensive solution to human trafficking problem – Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to pay greater attention to the fight against trafficking in humans, the Voice of Russia correspondent reports.

“We support the need for the OSCE to pay stronger attention to a shameful phenomenon such as human trafficking. We call on [this organization] to apply a comprehensive solution to this problem, including the trade in human organs and tissues,” Lavrov said at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Kiev on Thursday.

“Trafficking in humans is particularly outrageous,” he said. “Recently, the operations of online adoption exchanges were exposed that helped illegally transfer adopted children to other families, which frequently led to instances of sexual abuse,” Lavrov said.

“Is there anyone who may think that such criminal methods of Internet use are permissible?” Lavrov said.

R.S