The blocking of Désir candidacy by the two OSCE participating states raises the question of whether countries with a dramatic record of undermining free press should be allowed to have such power in international fora. [11], Désir remained head of the party until April 2014, when he stood down after being appointed State Secretary for European Affairs. Désir first became a Member of the European Parliament following the 1999 European elections. The attempts by the Azerbaijani regime to stifle media freedom have been the subject of numerous discussions and investigations. Also in 1983, he emerged as a leader from that year's social unrest in France and helped organize the March for Equality and Against Racism (the so-called March of the Beurs) that started in the immigrant neighborhoods outside Lyon and ended in Paris. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. — Rebecca Vincent (@rebecca_vincent) July 10, 2020. They can now effectively evade OSCE scrutiny,” RSF’s Director of International Campaigns, Rebecca Vincent, said. Under his leadership, the organization grew significantly in membership and acquired significant influence in French public life. [5] Accused of misusing public assets from 1986 to 1987, he was sentenced to an 18 months suspended sentence and a 30,000 francs fine in 1998.[6]. He writes that the law needs to be changed so that it is more consistent with international law. Lettera di Massimo Bottura a Conte, LE MANZANE TIENE LA ROTTA E GUARDA AL FUTURO DOPO IL COVID, Borrell “shocked” by France Consulate attack. “The work of the Representative on Freedom of Media is absolutely crucial to the protection of media freedom across the OSCE’s 57 Member States, especially in the worst offenders, including the two States that have now blocked Harlem Désir’s reappointment. Désir has been an outspoken representative at the OSCE (Organisation for the Security and Cooperation in Europe), a position he occupied for the past three years. The impact of his loss on press freedom work around the world is immeasurable. [11] He became the first black person to lead a major European political party. Nice impact: Hungary refuses new entrants, Côte d’Ivoire: EU concerned with violence, WTO: U.S. refuses Nigerian candidate for top job, Italian chopped alive by Nigerian migrants, LA TORDERA VALDOBBIADENE: IL FONDATORE PIETRO VETTORETTI AL TRAGUARDO DEGLI 80 ANNI, “Nurin” Riserva del Fondatore: il capolavoro delle cantine TOSO, Campello sul Clitunno (Umbria) – “Festa dei Frantoi e dei castelli”, Ma noi chi siamo? Blocking @harlemdesir’s reappointment would significantly hamper the OSCE’s ability to protect media freedom. On 30 June 2011, he was the delegate first secretary of the Socialist Party during the Martine Aubry bid for the Socialist Party primary, who started her campaign for presidential election of 2012 on 28 June 2011. Born in Paris, Harlem Désir is the son of a Martinican father and an Alsatian mother. They can now effectively evade OSCE scrutiny,” RSF’s Director of International Campaigns, Rebecca Vincent, said. OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir criticized Ukraine's Law on Media, which also provoked the indignation of Ukrainian journalists. https://t.co/rrrdOlXsJh. Désir writes about it in his report on work in Ukraine and in the world over the past seven months, ZIK reports. Désir had harsh words for Konrad Mizzi’s nomination as Head of the Maltese delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE. Harlem Jean-Philippe Désir (French: [aʁ.lɛm de.ziʁ]; born 25 November 1959) is a French politician who served in the government of France as Secretary of State for European Affairs from 2014 to 2017. Ahead of the 2014 European elections, Désir was appointed to head the Socialist Party's list for Ile-de-France. In 2019 he caused controversy in Albania by supporting a controversial package of law changes proposed by Albania strongman Premier Edi Rama. “The work of the Representative on Freedom of Media is absolutely crucial to the protection of media freedom across the OSCE’s 57 Member States, especially in the worst offenders, including the two States that have now blocked Harlem Désir’s reappointment. He fought unsuccessfully in 2005 to convince the Socialist Party to back a new European constitutional treaty.[11]. The blocking of Désir by the two States raises the question of whether countries that have a tragic record in protecting journalists and the free press should be allowed to have such power in international fora. Diplomatic intervention is urgently needed. [16][17], On 9 April 2014, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls appointed him Secretary of State for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development. Since 2017, he has served as the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. How long will these institutions allow themselves to be hijacked by States that don’t share their values?” RSF added. He visited Malta to attend the journalist’s funeral and had addressed the conference organised by The Shift and RSF on the second anniversary of her brutal killing.