Freedom of Expression
Principal Activities of the Office in 2003
1. Promotion and Dissemination Activities
Following is a description of the main promotion and dissemination activities carried out by the Rapporteurship in 2003.
From January 26 to 28, 2003 , the Special Rapporteurship, together with the Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM), held the International Forum “Legal Liability of the Press: Civil or Criminal?” in Mexico City . The Rapporteur made a presentation on the repercussions for the freedom of expression of the abusive use of criminal laws and on the international standards in this area.
On February 14 and 15, 2003, the Special Rapporteur traveled to Guatemala City , where he inaugurated a training seminar for journalists on criminal justice. In addition, he participated in presenting the results of a research project on journalism and on dangers faced by journalists in Guatemala , presented by the news agency CERIGUA.
From March 18 to 21, the Special Rapporteur participated in the seminar “impunity in the case of threats against the press,” convened by the Proyecto Antonio Nariño, the Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa, and the Rapporteurship. The seminar was held in the city of Bogotá , Colombia . Participating in the event were the Special Rapporteur and attorney Lisa Yagel, a specialist with the Office of the Special Rapporteur. Some of the conclusions were set forth at the end of the seminar, and were as follows: 1. Threats against journalists should never be underestimated, and it is imperative that they be reported and exhaustively investigated, and that the persons affected cooperate with the justice system. 2. The media should investigate and report these cases publicly. 3. The organizations that defend freedom of expression should train journalists to handle the threats, and prevention and surveillance mechanisms to protect their work should be activated. 4. Actions should be taken to ensure that journalists are better informed of the mechanisms offered by the inter-American system for their protection. 5.Prevention is the main source of protection in the face of the risks journalists face.
During its stay in Colombia , the Rapporteurship also had an opportunity to meet with the Director for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law of the Ministry of Interior and Justice, the Attorney General, the prosecutors of the Human Rights Unit of the Office of the Attorney General, journalists, and members of civil society.
The Special Rapporteur was invited to participate in the mid-year and annual meetings of the Inter-American Press Association. The first was held in March in San Salvador , El Salvador , and the second in October, in Chicago , United States of America .
On April 9, the Rapporteurship was invited to participate in the National Forum on Freedom of Expression in Nicaragua , organized by the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights in the context of the Project to Promote Freedom of Expression in Central America . Attorney Débora Benchoam, a specialist with the Rapporteurship, participated in the event; she made a presentation on the standards for freedom of expression in the inter-American system.
The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman (Defensoría del Pueblo) of Panama, with support from the Special Rapporteurship for Freedom of Expression and the Consejo Nacional de Periodismo, organized the forum “Freedom of Expression and Democracy” on April 14 and 15, in Panama City. The Special Rapporteur gave the keynote address, on the topic of incorporating the standards and case-law of the inter-American system on protecting the freedom of expression into domestic law.
On May 3, the Special Rapporteur participated, in the city of Kingston , Jamaica , in the celebration of World Press Freedom Day in the context of a seminar organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Mr. Bertoni participated on the panel “Freedom of Expression and Development: Their Relationship.” During the seminar sessions, the OAS Rapporteur met with his colleague from the United Nations, Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo. As a result of those conversations, the two rapporteurs issued a joint declaration.
On June 3, the Special Rapporteur was invited by the president of Columbia University , in New York , to participate in a working meeting on the challenges facing freedom of the press in Latin America . Mr. Bertoni gave the opening remarks.
On June 17, the Special Rapporteur gave a lecture on the activities of the Special Rapporteurship for Freedom of Expression and international standards for the protection of freedom of expression at the School of Law and Social Sciences of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina . During his stay in Argentina , Mr. Bertoni held meetings with non-governmental organizations and government officials.
On June 18, 2003 , Lisa Yagel, attorney with the Office of the Special Rapporteur, gave a lecture on the Rapporteurship for Freedom of Expression during the “First external session of human rights education for Latin America of the International Institute of Human Rights ( Strasbourg , France ),” in Quito , Ecuador . The program was co-sponsored by the Auditoría Democrática Andina, the Embassy of France in Ecuador, the French regional delegation for cooperation for the Andean countries, the Centro Internacional de Estudios Superiores de Comunicación para América Latina (CIESPAL), and Sur: Red universitaria de derechos humanos. It was geared to journalists, journalism students, government officials, and members of civil society.
On July 7 and 8, the Special Rapporteur participated in the “Regional Forum on Freedom of the Press,” held in Panama City , organized by the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights.
The Special Rapporteur participated in a seminar on freedom of expression organized together with the Special Mission of the OAS in Haiti . The seminar was for journalists in both Port-au-Prince and the interior of the country, and was held in Port-au-Prince on July 23.
The Special Rapporteur was also invited to the preparatory meeting for the international seminar “Partners Perú 2003: Access to information,” organized by the British Council in Lima , Peru, and held on August 14 and 15, 2003. In November, he participated in the seminar as a speaker.
On October 9, the Special Rapporteur was invited to participate in the annual ceremony at which the Cabot journalism awards are given out by the Columbia University School of Journalism, in New York .
On November 10, the Rapporteurship was invited to participate in the forum “Transparency in Imparting Justice,” held in Mexico City . Mr. Bertoni gave a talk on the importance of access to judicial information.
On November 13, the Special Rapporteur participated as a panelist in an event on freedom of expression in Latin America and the Caribbean organized by the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington , D.C.
The Special Rapporteur was invited to give a lecture at the Columbia University Law School, New York, sponsored by the Columbia Latin American Business Association, of the same university. On November 25, he made a presentation on “Freedom of Speech as a factor in the economic growth of Latin American countries.”
2. Official visits to countries
From March 21 to 30, the Rapporteurship participated in the visit by the IACHR to Guatemala to carry out a preliminary evaluation of the exercise of freedom of expression there.
The Rapporteurship visited Mexico from August 18 to 26, 2003 , in order to collect information on issues relating to freedom of expression and access to information there. To that end, the Special Rapporteur met with government officials, journalists, directors of media outlets, representatives of civil society, and academics, among others. Attorney Débora Benchoam participated in the Rapporteurship’s delegation.
From September 3 to 5, the Rapporteurship made an official visit to Honduras . Attorney Lisa Yagel of the Office traveled with the Special Rapporteur.
3. Presentation to the organs of the Organization of American States
On April 2, 2003 , the Special Rapporteur made a presentation to the Summits Implementation Review Group of the OAS.
From June 8 to 10, the Special Rapporteur was present during the Thirty-Third Regular Session of the General Assembly of the OAS held in Santiago , Chile .
On September 10, the Special Rapporteur submitted a document to the Permanent Council containing proposals for better implementing the mandate granted in operative paragraph 5 of Resolution AG/RES. 1932 (XXXIII-O/03).[1]
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[1] OEA/Ser.G. CP/doc. 3780/03, August 29, 2003 .