Freedom of Expression
Press Release R107/19
The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, UNESCO, and the Inter- American Court of Human Rights celebrate World Press Freedom Day with a Panel on the protection of freedom of expression and the Internet.
April 30, 2019
Montevideo, San Jose, Washington - On Friday, May 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in San Jose, Costa Rica, the international celebration of World Press Freedom Day in Latin America will take place. It is organized jointly by UNESCO, the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; the latter will also be the host.
The celebration will have a series of panels open to the public at the headquarters of the Inter-American Court, in which renowned journalists, jurists, and international activists will participate. They will address, firstly, the functioning of the Internet and its impact on the right to seek, receive, and disseminate information. For this purpose, an overview of the structure and functioning of the Internet nowadays and its determining impact on the way in which ideas circulate will be presented. The panelists will address the relationship between freedom of expression and the right to privacy on the Internet, as well as the importance of democratic debate and investigative journalism in the digital age. Esther Kuisch-Laroche, Director of the UNESCO Office in San José, Costa Rica, stated that "it is particularly relevant to celebrate this World Press Freedom Day in conjunction with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, since the contemporary challenges of protection and promotion of freedom of expression are of such complexity that only through alliances like this will we be able to face them ".
The panel will feature a presentation by the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Edison Lanza, and the participation of the President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Eduardo Ferrer Mc-Gregor. The following experts will also take part: Carlos Cortés (Colombia), Luis Fernando García (Mexico), Joan Barata (Spain and Stanford), and Guilherme Canela (Unesco South America) who will discuss the protection of freedom of expression on the Internet in the framework of the American Convention on Human Rights. For the President of the Inter-American Court "the activity will allow us to address the different perspectives regarding the role of the Internet as a fundamental instrument for the exchange of ideas and information, as well as with respect to the current challenges that arise in terms of freedom of expression, cornerstone on which all democracy is based".
Among the specific topics to be addressed are: the prohibition of Internet censorship, net neutrality, and pluralism and privacy. Likewise, there will be a reflection on the responsibility of the private sector and intermediaries on the Internet, as well as the need and proportionality of any measure that affects freedom of expression in the network. There will also be a review of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and the High Courts of the region on this matter.
Special Rapporteur Edison Lanza welcomes "that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights joins World Press Freedom Day in a high-level forum to reflect on the protection of freedom of expression in the digital era. This dialogue will allow us to address the challenges that freedom of expression faces given the formidable revolution that the Internet entails for the right to information in the Hemisphere."
At the end of the event, the Mayor’s Office of San Jose, in the person of the Mayor, currently President of the UCCI (Union of Iberoamerican Capital Cities), will present the Iberoamerican Cities of Peace Journalism Prize, which the association is currently organizing.
This is one of the many celebrations that will take place around the world in the framework of the 26th edition of the celebration of the World Press Freedom Day, whose focus this year will be to discuss the current challenges that the press faces in electoral times, as well as the role of journalism in the processes of peace and reconciliation.
See here the event program.
R107/19