Freedom of Expression
Press Release 120/05
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression to Carry Out Official Visit to Colombia
Washington, D.C., April 22, 2005. The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Mr. Eduardo A. Bertoni, will carry out an official visit to Colombia from April 25 to 30, 2005. The visit is taking place at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Colombia. The objective of the visit is to gather information about the general situation of freedom of expression in the country and to promote the standards established in relation to this issue by the inter-American system for the promotion and protection of human rights. The Rapporteurship thanks the Colombian authorities and civil society organizations for their cooperation in the preparation of this visit.
During his visit, the Rapporteur will meet with, among others, public officials, journalists, directors of communications media, representatives of civil society and academics, both from the capital and from other regions of the country. As part of their agenda, members of the Rapporteurship’s delegation will travel to the Arauca region on Wednesday the 27th. The remainder of the activities will take place in Bogotá. During their visit, the members of the delegation will stay at the Hotel Radisson Royal Bogotá, Calle 114 9-65 TeleportBusinessPark, Bogotá. Telephone: (57-1) 6578700, Fax: (57-1) 6295551.
After analyzing the information gathered during the visit, the Rapporteurship will prepare a report to be presented to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression was created in 1998 by the IACHR as a permanent office, with functional independence and its own budget, which operates within the juridical framework of the Commission.
For additional information about the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, consult: www.cidh.org/relatoria. For more information about the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, see: www.cidh.org.