Freedom of Expression

2009

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

2009

 

View complete 2009 Annual Report in PDF

 

 

INDEX

 

TABLE OF ACRONYMS AND REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I GENERAL INFORMATION 4

 

A.        Creation of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and Institutional Support 

B.         Mandate of the Office of the Special Rapporteur 

C.        Principal Activities of the Office of the Special Rapporteur        

1.         Individual Case System: Strategic Litigation on Freedom of Expression within the inter-American System           

2.         Precautionary Measures           

3.         Public Hearings

4.         Official Visits   

5.         Seminars and Workshops with Strategic Actors in the Region   

6.         Annual Report and development of expertise    

7.         Special statements and declarations: using the bully pulpit          

D.        Staff of the Office of the Special Rapporteur     

E.         Funding           

 

 

CHAPTER II EVALUATION OF THE STATE OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN THE HEMISPHERE          

A.        Introduction and methodology  

B.         Evaluation of the state of freedom of expression in the Member States  

1.   Antigua y Barbuda

2.   Argentina

3.   Barbados

4.   Bolivia

5.   Brazil

6.   Canada

7.   Chile

8.   Colombia

9.   Costa Rica

10. Cuba

11. Ecuador

12. El Salvador

13. United States

14. Grenada

15. Guatemala 

16. Guyana

17. Haiti

18. Honduras

19. Jamaica

20. Mexico

21. Nicaragua

22. Panama

23. Paraguay

24. Peru

25. Dominican Republic

26. Saint Lucia

27. Suriname

28. Uruguay

29. Venezuela

 

CHAPTER III INTER-AMERICAN LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION           

A.        Importance and function of the right to freedom of expression   

1.      Importance of freedom of expression within the Inter-American legal framework  

2.      Functions of freedom of expression         

B.         Main characteristics of the right to freedom of expression          

1.      Entitlement to the right to freedom of expression  

2.      Dual dimension – individual and collective – of freedom of expression      

3.      Duties and responsibilities contained within freedom of expression

C.        Types of speech protected by freedom of expression    

1.      Types of protected speech according to form

2.      Types of speech protected according to content

3.      Speech not protected by freedom of expression

D.        Limits to freedom of expression

1.      Admissibility of limitations under the American Convention on Human Rights        

2.      Conditions that limitations must meet in order to be legitimate under the American Convention

3.      Stricter standards of control for certain limitations due to the type of speech they address

4.      Means of limitation of freedom of expression in order to protect the rights of others to honor and reputation  

E.         The prohibition against censorship and indirect restrictions to freedom of expression                                          

1.      The prohibition against direct prior censorship     

2.      The prohibition against indirect restrictions to freedom of expression by the authorities      

3.      The prohibition against indirect restrictions to freedom of expression by causes other than the abuse of State restrictions          

F.         Journalists and the social communications media           

1.      Importance of journalism and the media for democracy; characterization of journalism under the American Convention         

2.      Responsibility inherent in the practice of journalism          

3.      Rights of journalists and State duties to protect the safety and independence of journalists and media outlets  

4.      Journalists who cover armed conflict or emergency situations       

5.      Conditions inherent in the functioning of the media

G.        The exercise of freedom of expression by public officials           

1.      General duties of the exercise of freedom of expression by public officials

2.      The duty of confidentiality which may apply to certain information controlled by the State 

3.      The right and duty of public officials to denounce human rights violations  

4.      The particular situation of members of the Armed Forces 

H.        Freedom of expression in the electoral context  

I.          Pluralism, diversity and freedom of expression  

 

CHAPTER IV THE RIGHT OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION       

A.        Introduction     

B.         Guiding Principles of the Right of Access to Information

1.         Principle of maximum disclosure           

2.         Principle of Good Faith

C.        Content and scope of the right of access to information 

1.         Every person has the right of access to information       

2.         Subjects with obligations under the right of access to information           

3.         Object of the right        

4.         State obligations in the right of access to information     

a.      Obligation to respond in a timely, complete, and accessible manner to requests                                        

b.      Obligation to offer a legal recourse that satisfies the right of access to information 

c.      Obligation to provide an adequate and effective legal remedy for reviewing denials of requests for information  

d.      Obligation of active transparency 

e.      Obligation to produce or gather information         

f.       Obligation to create a culture of transparency      

g.      Obligation of adequate implementation    

h.      Obligation to adjust domestic legislation to the demands of the right of access to information         

5.         Limitations to the right of access to information 

 

D.        Specific Applications of the Right of Access to Information       

1.         Restriction of access to official sources of information in the form of public events or acts          

2.         Access to information and indigenous peoples’ right to consultation       

3.         Access to information and the creation and preservation of police archives        

4.         Access to information and the creation of historic archives on gross violations of human rights    

 

E.         National jurisprudence and access to information best practices in domestic law

1.         Jurisprudence on the right of access to information as a fundamental autonomous right               

2.         Jurisprudence on the universal nature of access to information   

3.         Jurisprudence on the principle of maximum disclosure   

4.         Jurisprudence on the obligation to respond in a timely, thorough and accessible manner 

5.         Jurisprudence on the right of access to information of personal information        

6.         Jurisprudence regarding restrictions on access to information     

7.   Jurisprudence on the prohibition on punishing journalists or media outlets for publishing confidential information        

 

 

 

CHAPTER V NATIONAL INCORPORATION OF THE INTER-AMERICAN STANDARDS ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION DURING 2009

A.  Implementation of the legal standards of the inter-American system in national legal systems

B.   Incorporation of standards on freedom of expression through legislative reform

1.   The decriminalization of speech concerning matters of public interest in Uruguay

2.   Amendments to the Criminal Code and the Press Law of Argentina to decriminalize speech in the public interest

C.        Decisions of national courts that incorporate inter-American standards on freedom of expression

1.   Judgment of the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil on the requirement of a professional degree for the practice of journalism

2.   Judgment of the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil finding the press law incompatible with the Constitution

3.   Judgment T-298/09 of the Constitutional Court of Colombia, on confidentiality of sources

4.   Judgment of the Labor Court of First Instance in Valparaíso in Chile: social protest and freedom of expression

5.   Decision of the Supreme Court of Mexico on the unconstitutionality of vague criminal laws that protect the honor and privacy of public officials

6.   Decision of the First Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Nation of Mexico on the special protection of the right to freedom of expression concerning matters that may be in the public interest

7.   Judgment C-417/09 of the Constitutional Court of Colombia over the truth exception (exceptio veritatis)

Conclusions           

 

CHAPTER VI FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND RADIO BROADCASTING    

A.        Introduction

B.         General aims and limits of State radio broadcasting regulation

C.        On the enforcement and oversight authority in charge of radio broadcasting

D.        On assigning and renewing frequency concessions

E.         Digital transformation

F.         Public media

G.        Community broadcasting

H.        Private commercial broadcasting

I.          The duty of the State to prevent monopolies or oligopolies in broadcasting

J.          Government advertising and other forms of broadcast funding

K.        The sanctions regime

 

 

CHAPTER VII CONCLUSIONS Y RECOMMENDATIONS         

 

APPENDIX