(CCPJ/IFEX) – On 7 May 1998, CCPJ released the following statement: Paris, France (7 May 1998) — On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) is holding an open conference entitled Commemorating Article 19: 50 Years of Freedom of Expression, from 14:00 […]
(CCPJ/IFEX) – On 7 May 1998, CCPJ released the following statement:
Paris, France (7 May 1998) — On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Freedom of
Expression eXchange (IFEX) is holding an open conference entitled
Commemorating Article 19: 50 Years of Freedom of Expression, from 14:00 to
16:30, Thursday, 14 May 1998, at the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris, France.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on 10 December 1948 at
a turning point in history, the horror of the Second World War finally
behind us. The Declaration was the first international declaration of the
rights and freedoms of all members of the human family, and created human
rights as indivisible; civil and political rights were for the first time
put on the same plane as social, economic, and cultural rights.
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration guarantees freedom of expression and
opinion, and further declares that “Everyone has the right to seek, receive
and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers.”
Fifty years on, what is the state of freedom of expression in the world? On
the occasion of the Annual Meeting of IFEX, a network of 31 freedom of
expression groups from around the globe, IFEX will hold an open conference
to reflect on the impact of Article 19 and the prospects for freedom of
expression.
Daoud Kuttab – a leading Palestinian journalist who has been active in the
struggle for freedom of expression both with the Israeli occupation
authorities and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) – will deliver the
Keynote Address. He has been imprisoned by Israel and the PNA. Mr. Kuttab is
the Director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University. The
Institute owns and runs Al Quds Educational Television which has been
filming and broadcasting the Palestinian Legislative Council. In May 1997,
Mr. Kuttab was arrested and held for seven days by the Palestinian Authority
after Al Quds Educational Television broadcast live the sessions of the
Legislative Council that debated corruption in the Palestinian Authority.
Mr. Kuttab will discuss the challenges and prospects for freedom of
expression in the Middle East in a year that is not only the 50th
anniversary year for the UNUDHR, but also the 50th anniversary of the
proclamation of the State of Israel according to the UN Partition Plan of
1947.
Other speakers include Alain Modoux, Director of the UNESCO Unit for Freedom
of Expression and Democracy, Iván García, former News Editor of Frecuencia
Latina television in Peru, and Indonesian journalist Andreas Harsono.
Ursula Owen, Editor and Chief Executive of the freedom of speech publication
“Index on Censorship”, will lead a panel discussion with the speakers, and
will join other “Index” staff and contributors for the official launch of
its May issue “Gagged for it”, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the
Universal Declaration.
This open conference is offered as part of the 7th IFEX Annual Meeting to be
held at UNESCO 13-15 May 1998. IFEX is a network of groups which refuse to
turn away when those who have the courage to insist upon their fundamental
human right to free expression are censored, brutalised or killed. IFEX
draws together a tremendously diverse and dedicated global community,
located everywhere from the Pacific Islands to Europe to West Africa.
In recent years, the IFEX community has been joined by many new members from
the developing world – bringing new perspectives and energy. IFEX’s
decentralised structure creates a dynamic and truly international body. The
IFEX Annual Meeting provides a forum for member groups to discuss freedom of
expression issues, to exchange information, and to develop joint actions
among those members.
The conference takes place from 14:00 to 16:30 at UNESCO, in Room XII, 7,
Place de Fontenoy, 75007 Paris, France. For more information contact the
IFEX Clearing House in Toronto, Canada at tel: +1 416 515 9622 , fax: +1 416
515 7879, or e-mail: ifex@ifex.org. In Paris, contact My von Euler at tel:
+33 680 60 97 44 (in France, please dial 0680 60 97 44.) You must RSVP to be
on the security list to attend the Open Conference.
