(IAPA/IFEX) – IAPA reported on 6 November 1998 that the newly-elected Prime Minister of Belize, Saud Musa, became the 19th head of government in the Americas to sign the Declaration of Chapultepec when he put his signature to the document in a special ceremony on 5 November in Belmopan, capital of the Central American nation. […]
(IAPA/IFEX) – IAPA reported on 6 November 1998 that the newly-elected Prime
Minister of Belize, Saud Musa, became the 19th head of government in the
Americas to sign the Declaration of Chapultepec when he put his signature to
the document in a special ceremony on 5 November in Belmopan, capital of the
Central American nation.
The Declaration was drafted at a hemispheric conference on free speech in
Mexico City in 1994 sponsored by IAPA. It sets out 10 principles for
ensuring freedom of the press. Musa, who played a leading part in helping
his country gain independence from Britain in 1981, said during the ceremony
that his government stood behind the principles and pledged it would
continue to foster a free press in Belize. Musa was a key figure in drafting
Belize’s Constitution, which contains guarantees for free speech and other
fundamental human rights. He is his nation’s third Prime Minister since
independence.
IAPA President Oliver Clarke, chairman of “The Daily Gleaner”, Kingston,
Jamaica, presented Musa with a plaque commemorating his endorsement of the
Declaration and commitment to free speech and press freedom. “We hope that
Mr. Musa’s example will continue to spread throughout the nations that have
not signed the Declaration, especially in the English-speaking Caribbean —
bringing hope and strength to our struggle in protecting the freedom of
journalists to report the truth and the rights of all citizens to freely
express themselves,” Clarke said.
Clarke and Sean Casey, administrator of IAPA’s Chapultepec Project, met with
representatives of local news media during their visit to stress the
importance of the Declaration of Chapultepec to democracy in the Americas
today. This included guest appearances on the weekly local talk show
“One-on-One.”
