MIAMI, Florida (May 1st, 2000)-The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) will mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3 amid a series of curtailments of the right to freedom of expression in the Western Hemisphere but determined to take action for their removal, thus reaffirming its commitment to press freedom.
The following is a message from IAPA President Tony Pederson, Houston Chronicle, Houston Texas, commemorating the occasion.*
"In commemorating the first World Press Freedom Day of the 21st century, recognition must be given to those major advances that have been made in the past century. It has to be stressed, however, that despite these achievements freedom of the press continues to face persistent obstacles.
In some countries in the Americas murdering journalists has become the most effective way to silence the press. The figures speak for themselves: 222 news men and women have been murdered in the past 11 years. And this spiral of violence seems to have no end, with 12 journalists losing their lives since last October.
What is alarming about this is that the list of countries where such murders are committed has lengthened. Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico still hold the record for most violence against journalists in recent years. But in recent weeks there have been murders of journalists in Haiti, Paraguay and Uruguay.
In other countries, we see new legislative bills and numerous laws already in place that restrict free speech. It is common to see threats and intimidation against working journalists as well as legal, economic and political pressures against journalists and news media. It is a sad fact that many journalists are being forced to go into exile abroad because of continued threats to personal safety.
The IAPA has developed a number of initiatives to bring an end to attacks on the press and to advance the cause of freedom of expression.
Last January IAPA began a Rapid Response Unit comprised of four independent journalists working in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Its aim is to investigate crimes committed against journalists and to seek to eliminate the impunity that surrounds 95 per cent of such crimes. The findings of the Rapid Response Unit and the work of the Unpunished Crimes Against Journalists project are posted on a new web site intended to serve as a global forum and a call for justice to prevent more murders. The content is communicated periodically to the Inter American Human Rights Commission, which has formally reviewed a number of such IAPA cases and issued decisions concerning action to be taken in the countries involved.
The case of Cuba continues to be the bleakest in our region regarding freedom of expression and human rights. We continue to see intransigence and indifference on the part of the Cuban government, but we have requested permission from the Cuban government to send a mission to that country to discuss violations of freedom of the press and expression.
In March, IAPA launched a web site devoted to independent journalism from Cuba. It is our intent for this to be the first consistently open window to the world for people to gain access to uncensored information on Cuban. IAPA has a professional agreement with Raúl Rivero and his Cuba Press news agency to provide the information. While we are aware of the risks involved, we also know that this flow of information will lead to realization of the dream of all those of good will - a free Cuba where individual rights and freedoms are respected.
Both the Impunity Project and Cuba web sites can be accessed through the IAPA web site, www.sipiapa.org.
We will continue this effort because the sole mission of IAPA since its founding in 1926 has been promotion and preservation of a free press in the Americas. It is stated clearly in Principle 1 of the Declaration of Chapultepec: "No people or society can be free without freedom of expression and of the press. The exercise of this freedom is not something authorities grant, it is an inalienable right of the people."
With regard to the Declaration, our organization is committed to promoting its principles and eliminating any legal restriction on newsgathering and dissemination of information that may exist in the hemisphere.
It is important to emphasize that this objective has already produced concrete results such as the repeal in Panama of a 1978 gag law that made publication of certain information a criminal offense and gave the government the right to close newspapers. After a free press forum earlier this year in the Dominican Republic, the president there established a commission to review any legislation restricting the press.
We have recently published a book on comparative press laws in the countries of the Americas. Other books are planned this year, including a Spanish translation of Anthony Lewis excellent book, Make No Law. We continue sponsoring national forums in the countries of the Americas with a major and historic meeting scheduled in mid-May in Colombia.
For the IAPA, the start of a new century is also a new challenge. Our goal is nothing more or less than to continue the work of making the right of free speech and freedom of the press an inalienable right for every man, woman and child in the Americas ".
*World Press Freedom Day, celebrated annually on May 3, was established in commemoration of the Declaration of Windhoek, which contains principles for the defense of freedom of the press and was drafted in 1991 during a meeting of African journalists sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
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