San Jose, Costa Rica, May 8, 2020
Last Thursday, May 7, the Webinar entitled Freedom of the Press and Access to Information in times of COVID-19 was held; it was organized by the Rule of Law Program for Latin America of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation, the UNESCO Regional Office for Information and Communication and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Participating in the Webinar Panel were the Judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Ricardo Pérez Manrique, the Director of the KAS Rule of Law Program for Latin America, Marie-Christine Fuchs, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Edison Lanza, and the Head of UNESCO’s Freedom of Expression Section, Guilherme Canela.
More than 1,000 people from 26 countries participated in the Seminar through the Inter-American Court of Human Rights social platforms.
The aim of the Webinar was "to open a space for debate and reflection regarding the reality of journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean during the current pandemic, and within the framework of the activities organized for World Freedom of Expression Day", highlighted the Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Rule of Law Program for Latin America, Marie-Christine Fuchs.
The Judge of the Inter-American Court, Ricardo Pérez Manrique, recalled that the Inter-American Court made the “COVID-19 and Human Rights: Problems and challenges must be addressed from a human rights perspective and with respect for international obligations”, in which it highlighted the importance of protecting the work of human rights defenders, as well as journalists in particular.
The Judge of the Inter-American Court stressed that it was important that the measures taken by the States were subject to a certain time frame, pointing out that "the greatest risk that we can run with the new normal is that once the crisis disappears, essential principles for the rule of law and freedom of expression are lost," said Judge Pérez Manrique.
"The new normal cannot mean a curtailment of rights. More than ever, we need a press with the guarantees and protection to report," said the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Edison Lanza.
"We have such a large degree of doubts and uncertainty that transparent information, and the presence of a free, independent and plural press are essential," stressed Guillerme Canela, Head of UNESCO Freedom of Expression Section.
You can find the complete transmission of the Webinar here.
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