http://www.flip.org.co/documentos/362-manual_acceso.pdf
El 4 de mayo de 2009 - Con ocasión del Día Mundial de la
Libertad de Prensa, la FLIP presenta el Manual de Acceso a la Información.
Esta publicación contiene herramientas prácticas y útiles para que el
periodista y el ciudadano puedan buscar y recibir información.
La información es la materia prima de la democracia. Buscamos información o
accedemos a ella para saber cuáles son nuestros derechos y qué obligaciones
tenemos. Este conocimiento es el fundamento de las decisiones que tomamos
como ciudadanos. Exigimos información para ejercer un legítimo control
político: la publicidad es una garantía de transparencia.
El derecho de acceder a información pública desborda el simple deber del
Estado de responder nuestras peticiones. Este derecho también impone una
obligación triple al Estado: producir la información, archivarla y
difundirla. En países como Colombia, donde se busca garantizar los derechos
económicos, sociales y culturales, la información pública también permite
saber hasta qué punto el Estado está progresando a través de sus políticas
públicas. Temas como la cobertura en educación o el acceso a los servicios
de salud sólo pueden evaluarse si se dispone de información fidedigna
durante periodos determinados.
Por un lado, el presente manual describe de manera general el marco legal y
judicial del derecho de acceso a la información, consagrado en el artículo
74 de la Constitución Política. Por el otro, contiene una guía de casos
prácticos y herramientas para solicitar información pública.
Esta publicación contó con el apoyo de la Embajada Británica en Colombia,
Reporteros Sin Fronteras Suecia y el National Endowment for Democracy.
Para mayor información, comunicarse con Carlos Cortés, director, FLIP,
Calle 40, No. 22 - 40 Oficina 302, Bogotá, Colombia S.A, teléf: +571 400 96
77, +571 400 96 78, fax: +571 481 63 48, correo electrónico:
info@flip.org.co, sitio internet: http://www.flip.org.co
http://www.article19.org/pdfs/publications/uk-unhrc-submission.pdf
ARTICLE 19 urges UN Committee to address free speech concerns in the United Kingdom
Today, the UN Human Rights Committee begins its audit of the United Kingdom’s compliance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). ARTICLE 19 has submitted a Report calling on the Committee to question the British Government on a range of issues, including its plans to reduce use of the Freedom of Information Act, the ban on unauthorised demonstrations near Parliament Square and the high cost of defending libel suits in the UK.
While the ARTICLE 19 Report finds that respect for freedom of expression in Britain is generally good, it points to an erosion of the right to protest as well as a failure to address a number of long-standing issues. The United Kingdom is yet to act on problems identified by the UN several years ago in the UK’s Freedom of Information Act and Official Secrets Act. Instead, steps are being considered to curtail access to information.
The report warns that the vaguely defined offence of ‘encouragement of terrorism’ enacted after the 2005 terrorist attacks discourages the peaceful expression of extreme views, making it more difficult to confront and moderate them. The terrorist threat has provoked excessive responses, such as a six year prison sentence for protestors who chanted fundamentalist slogans and a ban on demonstrations outside Parliament without prior leave from the police.
Another problem identified by ARTICLE 19 is the high cost of defending, or even settling, libel suits in the UK. Contingent fee arrangements have made it easy to sue the media, aggravating existing procedural disadvantages which the defendant faces, and discouraging critical reporting.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The UN Human Rights Committee will be meeting on 29 October to draw up a list of ‘issues of concern’ on Britain’s implementation of the main UN human rights treaty, the ICCPR, and ARTICLE 19’s report supplements the official UK government report. The Committee will be meeting in July 2008 for a question and answer session with British officials, at which time we will supply additional information.
For more information, please contact Daniel Simons, Legal Officer, at daniel@article19.org or +44 20 7239 1192
The Report can be downloaded at http://www.article19.org/pdfs/publications/uk-unhrc-submission.pdf. The UK government report is available at http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=CCPR/C/GBR/6&Lang=E.
ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works globally to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech.
"La autocensura es la única estrategia de seguridad de los periodistas en Buenaventura. Pese al despliegue de seguridad, las garantías para que ejerzamos el periodismo no existen”. Con estas palabras, un periodista del puerto describió las condiciones en que trabajan los comunicadores.
La FLIP visitó Buenaventura y Cali y constató la difícil situación que vive la prensa en esta región del país: cercada por la guerra entre grupos armados y la corrupción sin cuartel.
Descargue el informe http://www.flip.org.co/documentos/249-informe_buenaventura.doc
http://www.humanrightsblog.org/reports/journalistsonthefrontline.pdf
I would like to put your attention to the attached latest worldwide report from FRONTLINE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENCE. In this report you would find about Somaliland and Somalia Journalists HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS situation and many more useful information about human rights.
Thank you for your patience to read it.
Suleiman Ismail Bolaleh –xuquuq-
Chairman
HORNWATCH
http://www.cidh.org/relatoria/showarticle.asp?artID=691&lID=1
Press Release 164/07
The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression Presents its 2006 Annual Report
Washington, D.C., April 9, 2007 – In its evaluation of the situation of freedom of expression in the Americas in 2006, the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS drew attention to the increase in murders of communicators in the region in the course of the year and the persisting impunity in which such murders, as well as attacks and threats directed at journalists, remain. On March 29 last, the IACHR presented its annual report to the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Volume III of which contains the Report of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.
The report of the Office of the Special Rapporteur records 19 murders in 2006 for reasons that could be connected with the exercise of freedom of expression and mentions that this figure reverts the downward trend for killings of this type registered in the hemisphere over the previous three years. The report notes that the majority of these crimes go unpunished, which propitiates further murders and leads to self-censorship by communicators. In addition, the report registers more than 200 cases of assault and threats against communicators and adds that these incidents are frequently not investigated. The annual report also highlights other restrictions on the exercise of the right to freedom of expression that arose in 2006, such as criminal actions brought by government officials against journalists for desacato (contempt), defamation, slander and libel, discriminatory allocation of government advertising, and refusal by public officials to release information in the possession of the state on request.
“Historically speaking, the right to freedom of expression has gained ground in the Americas, especially as a result of the transitions to democracy. However, the obstructions of freedom of expression seen in 2006 are genuinely a cause for concern,” said Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Ignacio J. Álvarez. “We urge the states to do everything in their power as soon as possible to investigate and ensure justice in all cases of murder, attacks and threats, and to design public policies for protection and strengthening of the right to freedom of expression.”
In addition to a detailed evaluation of the situation of the right to freedom of expression in the hemisphere, the report of the Office of the Special Rapporteur includes comparative studies of the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights, and the UN Human Rights Committee with regard to freedom of expression. It also contains a description of the main activities pursued by the Office of the Special Rapporteur in 2006, including the creation and implementation of a daily monitoring system and of its quarterly reports on the situation of freedom of expression in the region, the presentation of six draft reports on merits to the IACHR, visits to promote the right to freedom of expression, training workshops for journalists and communicators, and participation in forums and seminars.
The annual report includes general conclusions on the situation of freedom of expression in the region, on the basis whereof it offers a number of recommendations to the member states of the Organization with a view to improving the conditions necessary for the full exercise of freedom of expression in the region. These conclusions and recommendations are attached as an annex to this press release. The complete annual report is available in English at http://www.cidh.org/relatoria/showarticle.asp?artID=691&lID=1.
Read the full report: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19388
North Korea, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, the worst violators of press freedom
France and the United States slip further
Aggressive regimes in Africa and slow progress
New countries have moved ahead of some Western democracies in the fifth annual Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index, issued today, while the most repressive countries are still the same ones.
"Unfortunately nothing has changed in the countries that are the worst predators of press freedom," the organisation said, "and journalists in North Korea, Eritrea, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Burma and China are still risking their life or imprisonment for trying to keep us informed. These situations are extremely serious and it is urgent that leaders of these countries accept criticism and stop routinely cracking down on the media so harshly.
"Each year new countries in less-developed parts of the world move up the Index to positions above some European countries or the United States. This is good news and shows once again that, even though very poor, countries can be very observant of freedom of expression. Meanwhile the steady erosion of press freedom in the United States, France and Japan is extremely alarming," Reporters Without Borders said.
The three worst violators of free expression - North Korea, bottom of the Index at 168th place, Turkmenistan (167th) and Eritrea (166th) - have clamped down further. The torture death of Turkmenistan journalist Ogulsapar Muradova shows that the country's leader, "President-for-Life" Separmurad Nyazov, is willing to use extreme violence against those who dare to criticise him. Reporters Without Borders is also extremely concerned about a number of Eritrean journalists who have been imprisoned in secret for more than five years. The all-powerful North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, also continues to totally control the media.
Press freedom is genuine is Benin (23rd), Namibia (26th), Mauritius (32nd), Ghana (34th), Mali (35th), South Africa (44th) and Cape Verde (45th) and comparable to that in Western democracies. It does not exist or is constantly under attack in Eritrea (166th), Gambia (149th), Somalia (144th), Democratic Republic of Congo (142nd), Zimbabwe (140th) and Equatorial Guinea (137th). The same African countries have featured at the top and bottom of the Index for several years.
Northern European countries once again come at the top of the Index, with no recorded censorship, threats, intimidation or physical reprisals recorded in Finland, Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands, which all share first place.
Deterioration in the United States and Japan, with France also slipping
The United States (53rd) has fallen nine places since last year, after being in 17th position in the first year of the Index, in 2002. Relations between the media and the Bush administration sharply deteriorated after the president used the pretext of "national security" to regard as suspicious any journalist who questioned his "war on terrorism." The zeal of federal courts, which, unlike those in 33 states, refuse to recognise the media's right not to reveal its sources, threatens even journalists whose investigations have no connection at all with terrorism.
Freelance journalist and blogger Josh Wolf was imprisoned when he refused to hand over his video archives. Sudanese cameraman Sami al-Haj, who works for the pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera, has been held without trial since June 2002 at the US military base at Guantanamo, and Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein has been held by US authorities in Iraq since April this year.
France (35th) slipped five places during the past year, losing 24 places overall in five years. The increase in searches of media offices and journalists' homes is very worrying for media organisations and trade unions. Autumn 2005 was an especially bad time for French journalists, several of whom were physically attacked or threatened during a trade union dispute involving privatisation of the Corsican firm SNCM and during violent demonstrations in French city suburbs in November.
Rising nationalism and the system of exclusive press clubs (kishas) threatened democratic gains in Japan, which fell 14 places to 51st. The newspaper Nihon Keizai was firebombed and several journalists physically attacked by far-right activists (uyoku).
Fallout from the row over the "Mohammed cartoons"
Denmark (19th) dropped from joint first place because of serious threats against the authors of the Mohammed cartoons published there in autumn 2005. For the first time in recent years in a country that is very observant of civil liberties, journalists had to have police protection due to threats against them because of their work.
Yemen (149th) slipped four places, mainly because of the arrest of several journalists and closure of newspapers that reprinted the cartoons. Journalists were harassed for the same reason in Algeria (126th), Jordan (109th), Indonesia (103rd) and India (105th).
But except for Yemen and Saudi Arabia (161st), all the Arab peninsula countries considerably improved their rank. Kuwait (73rd) kept its place at the top of the group, just ahead of the United Arab Emirates (77th) and Qatar (80th).
Newcomers to the top ranks
Two countries moved into the Index's top 20 for the first time. Bolivia (16th) was best-placed among less-developed countries and during the year its journalists enjoyed the same level of freedom as colleagues in Canada or Austria. But the growing polarisation between state-run and privately-owned media and between supporters and opponents of President Evo Morales could complicate the situation. Bosnia-Herzegovina (19th) continued its gradual rise up the Index since the end of the war in ex-Yugoslavia and is now placed above its European Union member-state neighbours Greece (32nd) and Italy (40th).
Ghana (34th) rose 32 places to become fourth in Africa behind the continent's three traditional leaders - Benin (23rd), Namibia (26th) and Mauritius (32nd). Economic conditions are still difficult for the Ghanaian media but it is no longer threatened by the authorities.
Panama (39th) is enjoying political peace which has helped the growth of a free and vigorous media and the country moved up 27 places over the year
For further information, contact Léonard Vincent at RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: africa@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org