The First Deputy Chairman of the Senate, Sodiq Safoyev made remarks at the roundtable: Freedom of Speech and Press. Development of the Uzbek Media held at the International Press Club.
“Everyone knows how hard it used to be to get accredited to the Senate plenary sessions. The Senate sessions are now held not only online but also interactively. The efforts are being taken to address the issues raised in the Senate session on the spot”. “No doubt, the media are nowadays becoming the voice of the people. We probably haven’t achieved much yet, but the changes are evident. This is really very important”, he said in his remarks.
He stressed that democracy cannot be achieved without freedom of speech and the press.
“According to the UN Commission on Human Rights, freedom of speech is an integral part of human development. That’s what we need to know. If we are talking about a new renaissance, the people’s interests, we should understand that we cannot achieve these without democracy, freedom of speech and the press.”
“Informing the population about the activities of the government, at the same time conveying to the government the views, hopes, as well as discontent of the people, ensuring transparency, improving governance, is important for the sustainable development of the country. Undoubtedly, we all agree that freedom of speech and the press is a must now.”
“We must be grateful to the mass media, including online publications and bloggers, for raising important social issues, the problems of the pandemic period, and for discussing them boldly, holding the authorities accountable.”
“The government should consider ensuring the freedom of speech and press, guaranteeing the rights of the mass media as ne of its main duties. Most importantly, the head of state has the political will to do so,” Sodiq Safoyev said at the roundtable.
