Monday, November 9, 2009

International community confirms serious violations of press freedom



Censorship, Satellite sabotage, attacks on press freedom, the persecution of international journalists and restrictions on freedom of expression, were the topics discussed by several international organizations promoting freedom of expression.
The Committee for Free Expression C-Libre convened the Committee of Relatives of Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (Cofadeh) and the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CODEH) to discuss these issues with representatives of Reporters Without Borders, Article 19, Argentine Association of Journalistic Entities, International Media Support in Denmark, the World Institute of Newspapers based in Paris, France, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) based in Canada and Free Boys from Holland.
Ricardo Gonzalez Bernal, Program Officer for Protection of Freedom of Expression of the organization Article 19 said that the organizations that defend freedom of speech have been very concerned with events arising from the coup and have had to do with deliberate blocking the free flow of ideas, information and opinions.
"During our visits we observed that there has been an overwhelming amount of information coming from media groups related to a coup. Today we begin to see that there is some presence of these issues although they are still treated with objectivity, remains the denial of access to dissident voices in the media business, "said the reporter.

He stressed that "maintaining direct and indirect persecution against alternative means and therefore this is reflected in drafting tables, where both promoted self-censorship by publishers themselves, as owners, remains one of the main obstacles to the full exercise of professional duties of journalists and reporters. 
Regarding censorship, Gonzales Bernal noted that almost no journalists in the world, acknowledge that it is self-limiting, it is very difficult to recognize, however there are signs when you hear a battle of words as there are coup, that if succession presidential. 
"This is what is in the background is also an ideological charge is a surreptitious and intrinsic message of a specific group that promotes discrimination based on political opinion of one and the other group, but mainly also includes the stigmatization of those who use word over and over, "he noted. 
Article 19 is an international human rights organization that for 20 years has been focused in defending and promoting the right to freedom of expression around the world. 
The name derives from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right not only to express but also to receive information, opinions and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers 

Meanwhile Carlos Gamond, chairman of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information Association of Journalistic Entities of Argentina, said that we have to take cognizance, to visit colleagues, media workers here in Honduras at a very special because it is a very critical time. 
Gamond said that organizations interested in freedom of the press have held a series of meetings with representatives of community radios, directors of blogs and websites, businessmen, newspaper editors and owners and television and radio journalists. 
"We took our own image of what is the reality of the press in Honduras, we will make a report after consensual future, we will send to Honduras," said Gamond. 
Benoit Hervieu of Reporters Without Borders said that "the Honduran case, is unique, I think there is a strong polarization in Latin America between traditional media, many with ties to a traditional oligarchy, facing new presidents of the progressive movement." 
"Indeed, in the case of Honduras, is totally unique because major media also directly involved in the coup, in that it was a strategic foothold for this strike and then engage in defending freedom of the media, when media participate in actions that undermine fundamental freedoms, is really a case has never seen an organization like ours, "he said Hervieu.

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