Ljubljana - President Borut Pahor talked on Monday with Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović about freedom of the press and hate speech in Slovenia. Pahor stressed the importance of supervisory mechanisms of international institutions, including the CoE, and the need of regular and open dialogue with them.

The president's office also announced in a press release that Pahor emphasised in the telephone conversation the importance of public media and informed the commissioner with the efforts to preserve and strengthen their independence.

Mijatović noted the president's efforts in this respect and mentioned the talk on changes to the act on the national broadcaster RTV Slovenija that he had hosted in September 2020, and his mediation between the Government Communication Office (UKOM) and the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) for a solution for the agency's financial situation to be found.

Pahor also mentioned the talk that he had hosted in December 2018 on the topic of hate speech and freedom of expression and his regular calls for decent communication in the public space, including on social networks, the press release adds.

The talk was held as part of the virtual meetings that Commissioner Mijatović had in recent days with representatives of the Slovenian government and civil society about freedom of the press and hate speech in Slovenia.