ACM calls for greater OAS transparency

Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers
55 Caiman Circle, Elizabeth Gardens, St Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago
T: 1 (868) 481-0961
E: acmmail@gmail.com
W: acmediaworkers.com
ACM JOINS HEMISPHERIC NGOS IN CALLING FOR GREATER OAS TRANSPARENCY
March 1, 2013 - Member organisations of the Latin American and Caribbean Alliance of the
International Freedom of Expression Exchange IFEX-LAC, based on their commitment to defend
democracy and human rights in countries of the Americas, call on their respective governments
and relevant OAS bodies to fulfill their obligation to review possible reforms to the InterAmerican System in an open and public manner.
The IFEX-ALC members have reminded the authorities in their respective countries, in a
personal and direct manner via letters and campaigns that the public has the right to
participate in discussions about any proposed reforms.
On December 7, 2012, president of the Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM), Wesley
Gibbings addressed a special meeting of the OAS Permanent Council. He said the Caribbean
organisation was “particularly concerned” that some reforms proposed by Member States “will
have the impact of significantly weakening the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of
Expression by compromising its independence and weakening its resource base.”
The collective and simultaneous action of IFEX-LAC has been undertaken in the last few days
after the government of Ecuador planned a meeting to bring together American Convention on
Human Rights signatory States in order to formulate a joint proposal by a group of countries for
reforms to be presented to the OAS Permanent Council and General Assembly.
According to civil society organisations, this meeting, to be held on 8 March in Quito, fails to
comply with the Inter-American System's legal norms, as well as formal commitments that have
been made to discuss reforms in an open and public manner.
The IFEX-ALC member organisations note that work of the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights is delineated by the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights.
IFEX-ALC is of the opinion that any attempt to strengthen the Inter-American System should
protect the autonomy and independence of its various bodies, including the Commission, and
that this work should be undertaken by the Commission itself.
Within this context, IFEX-ALC highlights the fact that the meeting in Quito lacks a legal
foundation and could be problematic for the process toward eventual reforms that has been
taking place for more than two years. Discussing the reforms outside of their proper place (i.e.
the Permanent Council and General Assembly) represents a breach of agreements already
signed between the States, as well as a failure to honour the commitment to public analysis and
dialogue involving all parties involved.
Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers
1
Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers
55 Caiman Circle, Elizabeth Gardens, St Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago
T: 1 (868) 481-0961
E: acmmail@gmail.com
W: acmediaworkers.com
In the opinion of IFEX-ALC, the Inter-American System represents an achievement of "regional
civility and democratic spirit" and, as such, any reform must be for the greater interest of
society as a whole. Therefore, transparency and adherence to the legal procedural norms that
must underpin the discussions are of vital importance for the legitimacy of the reform process.
IFEX-ALC is particularly concerned over the apparent attempt to take away important powers
of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights' Office of the Special Rapporteur for
Freedom of Expression.
At the most recent General Assembly, held last year in Cochabamba, Bolivia, the president of
Ecuador, Rafael Correa, harshly criticised the Commission and the Office of the Special
Rapporteur in particular. This suggests that he will continue to push forward with reforms that
have already been proposed together with other countries.
If the reforms are implemented, the Office of the Special Rapporteur would stop publishing its
annual freedom of expression report, which incorporates information from the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights, its funding would be equalised with other OAS bodies, thus
diminishing its budget, and a "code of conduct" has been proposed that would increase State
control over the functioning of the various rapporteurships.
In support of their concerns, the IFEX-ALC members emphasise the "notable progress" on
freedom of expression and information issues that has been made in the region "thanks to the
constant and rigorous" work of the Office of the Rapporteur, which has contributed to a
consolidation of democracy in the region.
The Rapporteur has pushed for decriminalisation of defamation, especially the crime of "insult"
(desacato) that has protected public officials. The risks faced by the press, especially with
respect to organised crime, and the need to create mechanisms for protecting journalists have
also been highlighted. In recent years, the rapporteur has also advocated for processes to fight
impunity in cases of crimes against journalists and has brought to light mechanisms of indirect
censorship, such as the arbitrary granting of state advertising and radio and television licences.
Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers
2
Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers
55 Caiman Circle, Elizabeth Gardens, St Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago
T: 1 (868) 481-0961
E: acmmail@gmail.com
W: acmediaworkers.com
*IFEX-ALC is a network of organisations committed to defending and promoting the right to
freedom of expression. It is a regional alliance of IFEX members in Latin America and the
Caribbean.
ARTICLE 19
Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo (Brazilian Association of Investigative
Journalism, ABRAJI) - Brazil
World Association of Community Radio Broadcaster – Latin
America and the Caribbean (Asociación Mundial de Radios Comunitarias, AMARC)
Asociación Nacional de la Prensa (National Press Association, ANP) - Bolivia
Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (Association for Civil Rights, ADC) - Argentina
Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) - Trinidad & Tobago
Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (National Centre of Social Communication, CENCOS) México
Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala (Centre for Informative Reports on
Guatemala, CERIGUA) - Guatemala
Comité por la Libre Expresión (Committee for Freedom of Expression, C-Libre) - Honduras
Foro de Periodismo Argentino (Argentine Journalism Forum, FOPEA) - Argentina
Fundación Andina para la Observación y el Estudio de Medios (Andean Foundation for the
Observation and Study of the Media, Fundamedios) - Ecuador
Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (Press Freedom Foundation, FLIP) – Colombia
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (Press and Society Institute, IPYS)– Perú
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad de Venezuela (Press and Society Institute-Venezuela) - Venezuela
Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión (Latin American Observatory for
Freedom of Expression, OLA) - Perú
Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay (Paraguayan Journalists Union, SPP) - Paraguay
Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers
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