Freedom of Expression
Press Release 181/07
PRESS RELEASE
PREN 181/07
OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION PRESENTED TO THE IACHR BALANCE OF RECENT ACTIVITIES AND WORK PLAN
Washington, D.C., October 24, 2007 – On the occasion of the 130th period of sessions of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS, which concluded on October 19, 2007, the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression presented a report about the activities of promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression that it has developed, in the past eighteen months, since the beginning of the mandate of the current Special Rapporteur, Ignacio J. Álvarez, on April of 2006.
In the report, which is attached to this press release, the Office of the Rapporteur emphasized that it initiated a process of daily monitoring of the situation of freedom of expression in the region, as well as the elaboration of quarterly reports about the situation of freedom of expression. The Office of the Special Rapporteur also emphasized that it has undergone and published special studies, including studies about incarcerated journalists and about the right of access to information. Moreover, it has increased significantly the number of merits reports projects that were submitted by the Office of the Special Rapporteur to the IACHR for consideration regarding individual cases where it is alleged that States have incurred in international responsibility for violating the right to freedom of expression.
Likewise, the report emphasized that there has been an increase in the number of individual petitions presented to the IACHR regarding topics of freedom of expression, in the petitions for precautionary measures, in the petitions for hearings, in the press releases issued by the Office of the Special Rapporteur, in the workshops for journalists carried out in several countries, and in the Office of the Special Rapporteur’s visits to different countries in the region.
Among the additional activities that have been planned for the upcoming months, the Office of the Special Rapporteur emphasized in this report that it is now in the final stage of the elaboration of a special study about the situation of the investigation of the murders of journalists that have occurred in the region during the 1995-2005 period and may be related to the journalistic activity. In addition, the Office of the Special Rapporteur informed the IACHR about advances in the special study that it is doing on the situation of freedom of expression in each of the countries of the region, with occasion of this year’s tenth anniversary of the creation of the Office of the Special Rapporteur.
In such report, the Special Rapporteur, Ignacio J. Álvarez, said that the Office of the Special Rapporteur will continue actively working on the defense and promotion of the fundamental human right to freedom of expression.
Office of the Special Rapporteur Activities Report, October 2007 - ANNEX (available here)