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OAS INAGURATES SPECIAL SESSION ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

The Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS) inaugurated Thursday a special session on the right to Freedom of Expression and the importance of mass media with the attendance of several experts on the issue.

The inaugural session was attended by several Permanent Representatives of Member States to the OAS and was opened by the President of the Committee and Permanent Representative of Uruguay María del Luján Flores; the President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Commissioner Luz Patricia Mejía Guerrero; and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression Dr. Catalina Botero.

Among the experts in attendance were representatives of OAS Member States’ governments, such as the Minister for Industry and Energy of Uruguay Daniel Martínez; organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Foundation for Press Freedom, Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF) and World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC): and media such as Andrés Izarra, President of TELESUR and Juan Francisco Ealy, Editorial Director of México’s “El Universal”.

At the event’s opening, Ambassador Flores stressed that in the recent Fifth Summit of the Americas last week in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, the 34 democratically elected leaders of the hemisphere “highlighted the importance of Freedom of Expression to protect Human Rights and allow the comprehensive exercise of democracy.”

Ambassador Flores also emphasized that the issue is taken very seriously by members of the Inter-American System. “The creation itself of the Rappourtership of Freedom of Expression within the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is a clear example of how committed the Inter-American System of Human Rights is, and how important it considers protection Freedom of Expression in the Americas.”

Commissioner Mejía Guerrero also stressed that “defending this right is still a priority in this continent’s agenda,” because it is widely considered to be a “cornerstone” and “principle value” of the hemisphere. The Commissioner highlighted the steps forward taken by the Americas on the issue, but also reminded that “many other challenges will surely follow.”

Among the current challenges, Commissioner Mejía Guerrero mentioned new models to exercise Freedom of Expression, how to guarantee the free exercise the right and how to protect the security of journalists.

Rapporteur Botero mentioned on her speech the “five issues” related to the right to Freedom of Expression where, according to her, there are standards missing in the Americas: the need to protect journalists and dissidents; criminalization of expression in some national codes of laws; indirect censorship; lack of sufficient access to information for “voiceless communities.”

The special session, held in the Bolívar Hall at the OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, will be closed tomorrow.

Reference: E-143/09