The Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI), meeting in Vienna, Austria, on 23 November 2002, has learned with approval of the decision by the Parliamentary Forum of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Media Institute of Southern Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, on 19 October 2002 to request SADC governments to re-affirm their commitment to the principles of freedom of expression and freedom of the media contained in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Windhoek Declaration of 1991.
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To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest)
From: International Press Institute (IPI), [email][email protected]
H.E. José Dos Santos
SADC Chairperson
SADC House
Gaborone
Botswana
Fax: (+ 267) 3972 848
Vienna, 26 November 2002
Your Excellency,
The Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI), meeting in
Vienna, Austria, on 23 November 2002, has learned with approval of the
decision by the Parliamentary Forum of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) and the Media Institute of Southern Africa in Lusaka,
Zambia, on 19 October 2002 to request SADC governments to re-affirm their
commitment to the principles of freedom of expression and freedom of the
media contained in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and the Windhoek Declaration of 1991.
In addition, the delegates at the Lusaka meeting decided to request their
governments to review legislation in their statute books and scrap all
provisions in conflict with those principles.
These are enlightened and significant and the IPI, the global network of
editors, media executives and leading journalists from 115 countries, urges
the SADC governments to adopt them and to proceed with all speed to review
their laws and to scrap all those that are in conflict with the principles
contained in those protocols.
IPI offers assistance to governments seeking to implement the decisions and
points out that this initiative will be welcomed by free media throughout
the world. It will be seen as a far-sighted moved which will place SADC
countries in the forefront of those seeking to strengthen democracy. It will
also add considerable impetus to the democratic aims of the newly-formed
African Union and New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
International Press Institute (IPI)
Spiegelgasse 2/29
A-1010 Vienna
Austria
Tel: + 431-512 90 11
Fax: + 431-512 90 14
E-mail: [email][email protected]
http://www.freemedia.at
Cc:
Dr. P. Ramsamy, Executive Secretary, SADC
Dr. Kasuka Mutukwa, Secretary-General, SADC Parliamentary Forum
**The information contained in this autolist item is the sole responsibility
of IPI**
Author
Anonymous (not verified)
