Cyprus government vows to safeguard freedom of expression

The Cyprus government stressed on Tuesday that it safeguards the right to the freedom of expression of mass media representatives, offering them full support to continue their work, with a view to inform citizens in an objective way.

In a written statement on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides said the government wholeheartedly salutes the representatives of the press, respecting their long standing struggles to establish the independence of their profession and their contribution to democracy.

Furthermore, he notes that independence in journalism serves the public interest and reinforces democracy, and all institutions of a well-governed state must respect and safeguard the right to free expression and the freedom of the press.

Unfortunately, he added, even today, in 2016, freedom of the press and freedom of expression are being targeted and blatantly violated. “The international community has the obligation to react and safeguard the right to freedom of expression which constitutes an indisputable pillar of democracy,” the spokesman concluded.

CNA

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The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.