Miami (March 26, 2013)—The support of governments in the Americas for the defense of human rights and freedom of expression demonstrated during a discussion in the Organization of American States (OAS) on proposals to reform the Inter-American Human Rights System was hailed today by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).
On March 22 the OAS held an Extraordinary General Assembly at its Washington, D.C., headquarters that wound up a process of reflection begun in June 2011 on the functioning of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and its offices of rapporteur for the strengthening of the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS). The extraordinary session concluded with an unanimously adopted resolution which, among other aspects, respects the financial autonomy of the IACHR and establishes continuity of the dialogue on fundamental aspects for strengthening the IAHRS.
IAPA President Jaime Mantilla declared in letters sent to presidents and diplomatic representatives before the OAS that, “Thanks to your support there have been excluded, at least for the time being, the possibility of incorporating reforms that could affect the mission of the IACHR and in particular that of its Office of Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.”
Mantilla, editor of the Quito, Ecuador, newspaper Hoy, recalled that during its recent half-yearly meeting, held March 8-11 in Puebla, Mexico, the IAPA stated its “concern at the behavior of certain governments in the region which seek to promote governmental communication hegemonies, infringing on the people’s freedom of expression and hounding the independent, plural and critical press.”
The IAPA president called the OAS decision a “significant advance” and said his organization would “remain vigilant to any initiative to weaken the powers of the Office of Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and the body that created it, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), especially when there has been announced a meeting of the member countries of the Inter-American Human Rights System to continue the debate on the reforms and a time at which the same governments that on this occasion failed to meet their objective will attempt to pursue their anti-IACHR plans.”
Mantilla ended his letters by reiterating gratitude “for your clear demonstration of leadership in the defense of the fundamental bases of democracy, that is to say the freedoms that the IACHR and its Office of Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, as fundamental institutions of the Inter-American System, defend.”
The letters were sent to the heads of government of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States and Uruguay and to the ambassadors to the OAS of Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Surinam, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The IAPA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the defense and promotion of freedom of the press and of expression in the Americas. It is made up of more than 1,300 print publications from throughout the Western Hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida. For more information please go to http://www.sipiapa.org.
