Freedom of Expression
PRESS RELEASE R18-10
PRESS RELEASE
N° R18/10
TENTH ANNIVERSARY JOINT DECLARATION: TEN KEY
CHALLENGES TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN THE NEXT DECADE
Washington D.C., February 4, 2010 – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Organization of American States Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information issued a joint declaration on February 3, 2010, in which they identified the central challenges to freedom of expression over the next decade.
The Rapporteurs noted that many important gains have been made over the past ten years, but they also expressed their concern regarding the enormous challenges that still exist in ensuring the full enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression. They specifically emphasized the problems that arise from restrictive legal regimes, political, commercial and social pressures on media outlets, governments’ lack of tolerance of criticism, and the need to implement and improve mechanisms that facilitate the participation of excluded sectors of society in the communicative process.
The most important challenges to freedom of expression, as mentioned in the Declaration, are the following: 1) mechanisms of government control over the media; 2) criminal laws that punish criticism; 3) increasing violence against journalists and social communicators; 4) the need to fully implement and strengthen the right to information; 5) discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression; 6) commercial pressures that limit freedom of expression; 7) the lack of an adequate legal framework that guarantees the existence, independence and funding of public and community broadcasters; 8) the unduly broad limitations on freedom of expression on national security grounds; 9) risks of interference with the use of new technologies, especially the Internet; and 10) the urgent need to guarantee all people access to the Internet.
Representatives of ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression and the Centre for Law and Democracy took part in the meeting in which the Declaration was discussed.