(Periodistas/IFEX) – During the Second Summit of Latin American Presidents (“the Summit”), which took place in Santiago de Chile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Interamerican Press Society (la Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa, SIP), the Freedom Forum Latin American Centre and the Association for the Defense of Independent Journalism (Periodistas) held a parallel seminar […]
(Periodistas/IFEX) – During the Second Summit of Latin American Presidents
(“the Summit”), which took place in Santiago de Chile, the Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Interamerican Press Society (la Sociedad
Interamericana de Prensa, SIP), the Freedom Forum Latin American Centre and
the Association for the Defense of Independent Journalism (Periodistas) held
a parallel seminar on the theme of “Freedom of the press and the
consolidation of democracy in Latin America.”
The parallel seminar, which took place on 17 April 1998, had the objective
of expressing its approval for the creation of a Special Rapporteur for
Freedom of Expression by the Interamerican Human Rights Commission (“the
Commission”). The creation of the post of Rapporteur was announced by the
Commission in September 1997 and discussed by President Bill Clinton during
his tour of several Latin American countries in October 1997. During its
regular sessions this year, which concluded on 6 March 1998, the Commission
defined the functions of the Rapporteur. During the Summit, the Venezuelan
President of the Commission, Carlos Ayala, explained that the Rapporteur’s
mandate would be to monitor freedom of expression violations by member
States, but would exercise no control over the press. Other functions
include investigating attacks against journalists as well as investigating
governments who have failed to capture, judge and sentence those responsible
such attacks. The Rapporteur will also produce an annual report on freedom
of expression on the continent, promote freedom of the press and serve as a
mechanism for early warning in cases of threats against journalists.
Support for the creation of the office of the Rapporteur was included in
the documentation which came out of the Summit, and it will be officially
announced in May 1998 by the Organisation of American States (OAS). During
the parallel seminar, Horacio Verbitsky, Vice-President of Periodistas,
explained that “the Commission has played a decisive role in denouncing the
systematic disregard of all rights during the decades of dictatorships in
the region. Now that all the countries are functioning under governments
elected by popular vote, it will fulfill a very important function.”
Verbitsky affirmed that the American Declaration of Human Rigths (la
Declaracion Americana de Derechos Humanos), the Commission and the
Interamerican Court constitute an umbrella protection which, in the case of
freedom of expression, has been shown in several significant cases by
creating a legal framework which can eventually be applied by each country
in concrete cases.
Among the participants at the parallel seminar were Sidney Blumenthal,
President Clinton’s press advisor, and Richard Faimberg, former member of
the North American Security Council. Blumenthal passed along Clinton’s
support for the Rapporteur initiative and said that during the Summit
Clinton would announce his government’s contribution of US$ 300,000 to the
Voluntary Fund created by the Commission to finance the project.
Participants in the parallel seminar included Suzanne Bilello, director of
the Freedom Forum Latin American Centre; Katia Gil, of the International
Federation of Journalists; Gustavo Gorriti, associate editor of the daily
“La Prensa,” Panama; Alejandro Guillier, of Television Nacional de Chile;
Paul Knox, journalist with “The Globe and Mail” from Canada; Horacio
Verbitsky, Vice-President of Periodistas; Rosental Calmon Alves, of “O
Globo” from Brazil; Danilo Arbilla, Interamercian Press Society; Javier
Dario Restrepo, Colombian Freedom of the Press Foundation; Joel Simon, of
the Committee to Protect Journalists, United States; Cecilia Valenzuela,
Canal 9, Peru; Jorge Zepeda, “El Publico”, Mexico; Jose Miguel Vivanco,
Executive Director of Human Rights Watch – Americas.
