Arbour says harassment
and secrecy laws undermine press freedom
May 3, 2008 - UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour marked World Press Freedom
Day, which falls on 3 May, by underscoring the importance of the media's
efforts to carry out their vital task of informing the public about key
events and policies - a right that is enshrined in international human
rights law.
"It is a sad fact that
many governments across the world persist in undermining the freedom of
the press to report facts and opinions and, by extension, the right of
people in general to be informed about events and policies that are
shaping our world," Arbour said.
This is done in variety of ways. Some governments continue to threaten,
detain, assault or even kill journalists as they try to go about their
jobs - or fail to protect them sufficiently from similar acts by
criminal or other forces intent on suppressing the truth."
"Others, including ones
in countries that in theory have a free press, resort to methods that
subtly undermine the depth and accuracy of information reaching the
public," Arbour said. "Governments are increasingly resorting to secrecy
in the way they operate, and to using sophisticated methods of sowing
propaganda disguised as objective information - especially, but not
exclusively, when the subject involves what the governments in question
deem to be security-related issues. This trend has also helped gradually
undermine the principle of protecting journalists' confidential sources
-- a central pillar of press freedom."
"The proliferation of
new or strengthened secrecy laws means that the media are forced to
resort to speculation, which can then be used against them to further
undermine their credibility, or even as a justification for initiating
legal proceedings against them. The situation is exacerbated by some
media organizations' apparent willingness to make compromises with
objectivity in order to get privileged access to government-controlled
aspects of the story."
Article 19 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights is devoted to the right to freedom
of opinion and expression. 'This right,' she emphasized, 'includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers.'
"It is no coincidence
that many of the worst human rights abuses occur in countries where the
media's ability to criticize government is heavily circumscribed, or
non-existent," Arbour said. "Freedom of the press is in many ways a
barometer of the progress of societies, and journalists are often some
of the most articulate and influential defenders of human rights. The
considerable number of corroborated reports we receive suggest there is
no let-up in the number of individual journalists who are being
detained, beaten, tortured and killed."
"Some foreign
correspondents have major international news organizations behind them
which are in a position to galvanize support for them if they get into
trouble. Many domestic journalists do not - and it is their plight in
particular that I would like to highlight today."
