UN and international experts release key declaration on
Freedom of Expression in Conflict Situations
RIGA (4 May 2015) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on
freedom of expression, David Kaye,
issued a joint declaration* on ‘Freedom of Expression and Responses to
Conflict Situations’ together with special rapporteurs on free expression from
the Organization of American States (OAS), the African Commission on Human and
People’s Rights and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.
“This joint declaration reminds States on their longstanding
commitments,” Mr. Kaye said at the World Press Freedom Day International
Conference in Riga, Latvia. “Unfortunately, we are aware that the trend is not
positive - many journalists, artists and activists are in detention, missing,
buried, or deterred from exercising their rights to freedom of opinion and
expression.”
The declaration addresses attacks perpetrated in different
contexts, such as armed conflicts, terrorist attacks and widespread organised
crime. It emphasizes that States should not respond to crisis situations by
adopting additional restrictions on freedom of expression, except as strictly
justified by the situation. It calls for a number of measures including the
protection of journalists and their sources as well as the respect to
everyone’s right to privacy.
For the UN Special Rapporteur attacks on a free press
violate the letter and spirit of the right to freedom of expression.
“To clamp down on unwanted expression or seal off
information from the public, those in power often deploy pretexts instead of
legitimate justifications genuinely rooted in the protection of national
security or public order,” he said.
“This is particularly harmful in situations of violence and
extremism where more space for free speech is so crucial,” the human rights
expert stressed.
(*) Check the joint declaration:
ENDS
David Kaye (USA) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the
promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in
August 2014 by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Learn more, log on to:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomOpinion/Pages/OpinionIndex.aspx
The UN Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the
Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights, is the general name of the
independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council
that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts
of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are
not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent
from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
For further information and media requests, please contact
Marcelo Daher (+41 22 917 9431 / mdaher@ohchr.org) or write to freedex@ohchr.org
For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917
9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)
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