CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

WHEREAS press freedom, in the words of the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, is the backbone of democracy WHEREAS several initiatives are underway to change or amend the constitutions of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela that will probably affect inter-American standards of democracy, in particular the free practice of journalism and the media WHEREAS since democracy is an indivisible concept that is necessary for respect and the universal guarantee of human rights, including press freedom, it is necessary to affirm that the ideas of democracy, a democratic nation of laws and human rights, do cannot depend just on the jurisdiction or decision of each government outside these rules of democracy WHEREAS dialogue and consensus in democracy are limited by the effectiveness of democracy itself and of protection for human rights, especially including freedom of expression WHEREAS the existence of democracy and its backbone—press freedom—cannot depend for its effectiveness on an accidental confrontation between majorities and minorities, since human rights belong to all human beings and without discrimination WHEREAS Principle 1 of the Declaration of Chapultepec says “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” THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to urge the countries whose constitutions are being amended, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, that the new constitutions contain guarantees and necessary requirements to respect freedom of expression and of the press and the practice of journalism as essential elements for democratic life to establish a permanent monitoring mechanism and to conduct indispensable missions or visits so the IAPA and its members are kept up to date on constitutional amendments or modifications that are under way and to determine their affect on press freedom, the backbone of democracy.