The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has called upon the Icelandic government to refrain from any further restrictions on the operation of a free press, criticizing the gag order issued by the Reykjavík Sheriff's Department on the coverage of Stundin of leaked documents from failed bank Glitnir which detail questionable financial transactions by the Prime Minister of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson.
Read more: Report: Fallout from gag-order on coverage of PM's questionable financial transactions
Concern for the freedom of the press
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir expressed his concern about the gag order which bars the newspaper Stundin and their partners at investigative journalism outfit Reykjavík Media from any further reporting on leaked documents from Glitnir. The documents, which have been reported on by international and domestic news media, include information about Bjarni Benediktsson's financial interests at the bank.
As prior restraints on publication, such injunctions need to be used with caution and applied in very limited circumstances, Désir is quoted in a press released from OSCE.
The aim of protecting personal data is a legitimate one, but the means to achieve it should be crafted narrowly and according to accepted standards on freedom of expression. A blanket prohibition on all reporting on this topic is overbroad and undermines the freedom of the media, as well as the public’s right to be informed.
Public interest vs privacy concerns
The gag order was issued after Stundin and the investigative journalism team from Reykjavík Media began publishing reports based on the leaked documents of Glitnir, which was declared bankrupt in 2008. One of the persons identified in the leaked documents is the Prime Minister. The gag order has been justified with the need to protect the personal banking data and information of thousands of former account holders at the bank. Stundin has said this justification is absurd, as the paper has only reported on the financial transactions of the Prime Minister, and has no interest in reporting on the finances of ordinary people.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media calls upon the Icelandic government to guarantee the freedom of the press to report on matters of importance to the public:
“I call on the Icelandic authorities to refrain from adopting further restrictions on press publication in relation to this case and to lift those already in place,”
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has called upon the Icelandic government to refrain from any further restrictions on the operation of a free press, criticizing the gag order issued by the Reykjavík Sheriff's Department on the coverage of Stundin of leaked documents from failed bank Glitnir which detail questionable financial transactions by the Prime Minister of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson.
Read more: Report: Fallout from gag-order on coverage of PM's questionable financial transactions
Concern for the freedom of the press
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir expressed his concern about the gag order which bars the newspaper Stundin and their partners at investigative journalism outfit Reykjavík Media from any further reporting on leaked documents from Glitnir. The documents, which have been reported on by international and domestic news media, include information about Bjarni Benediktsson's financial interests at the bank.
As prior restraints on publication, such injunctions need to be used with caution and applied in very limited circumstances, Désir is quoted in a press released from OSCE.
The aim of protecting personal data is a legitimate one, but the means to achieve it should be crafted narrowly and according to accepted standards on freedom of expression. A blanket prohibition on all reporting on this topic is overbroad and undermines the freedom of the media, as well as the public’s right to be informed.
Public interest vs privacy concerns
The gag order was issued after Stundin and the investigative journalism team from Reykjavík Media began publishing reports based on the leaked documents of Glitnir, which was declared bankrupt in 2008. One of the persons identified in the leaked documents is the Prime Minister. The gag order has been justified with the need to protect the personal banking data and information of thousands of former account holders at the bank. Stundin has said this justification is absurd, as the paper has only reported on the financial transactions of the Prime Minister, and has no interest in reporting on the finances of ordinary people.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media calls upon the Icelandic government to guarantee the freedom of the press to report on matters of importance to the public:
“I call on the Icelandic authorities to refrain from adopting further restrictions on press publication in relation to this case and to lift those already in place,”
