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Momodou
Denmark
11827 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Mar 2008 : 15:21:55
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Declaration of Ouagadougou
On the de-criminalisation/DISCHARGE OF the press OFFENCE laws ...
Professional organizations of media and journalists of ECOWAS region and Mauritania joined together during the seminar of Ouagadougou from the 27 to February 29, 2008 on the de-criminalisation of the press offence laws, Reaffirm their engagement to the freedom of press as a fundamental human right and essential component of the democracy in each country, including the Member States of ECOWAS and Mauritania,
Identify as the main danger to the freedom of press in EOCWAS region and Mauritania, the generalised recourse to the laws on public insult which prohibit critics on the politicians and the governments; and to the laws on defamation, two types of legislation used without discrimination in the majority of the States, which maintain them just for ‘ ‘ locking information ‘’, except the cases of Côte.d’Ivoire, Togo and Ghana,
Note that in the Member States of ECOWAS region and Mauritania, the press is paralysed by an arsenal of repressive measurements, imprisonment and persecution of the journalists to the generalised plague that are the laws on defamation, and public insult which are used, shamefully, by the governments to prevent any critical evaluation of their policies and to deprive the public of any information on the failures that they make.
Affirm their conviction that the ECOWAS region and Mauritania urgently needs a plural press, strong, free and independent which can critically play its role of counter power.
Consider that the freedom of the press remains essential to the establishment of good governance and the economic, political, social and cultural sustainable development; of prosperity and peace in the region and Mauritania, and to the fight against corruption, famine, poverty, armed conflict, the disease and the lack of education.
Reaffirm their responsibility as women and men of media to conduct an “energetic campaign on the long run against the violations and the restrictions of the freedom of press”.
Note that article 19 of the Universal Declaration of the Human rights and the African Union charter on Human & people’s rights guarantees the freedom of expression as a basic right, and underline that it is essential to the realisation of other basic rights stated in the international treaties of human rights.
Recall that these principles were reaffirmed and approved by the constitutive Act of the African Union, especially by the 2002Declaration on the Principles of the Freedom of expression in Africa, adopted by the African Commission of Human & peoples’ rights of the African Union, thus placing the Member States of the African Union in the obligation to defend and preserve the freedom of press.
Remember the 1991Declaration of Windhoek on the Promotion of an independent and pluralist African Press.
We also remember that the additional Protocol on good governance and democracy adopted by the member States of ECOWAS makes the freedom of press one of the principles of constitutional convergence, thus obliging the States to guarantee this freedom.
Observe that despite the judicial opportunities that could have made possible a free press to emerge, the continuous freedom of press is always abused in many member States of ECOWAS and that the murder, the imprisonment, torture, prohibition, the censure and the use of decrees continue to be practiced in several States.
Recognise that these rough forms of repression are reinforced by the deliberated exclusion of certain newspapers of the governmental advertising placements, the weight of taxes raised on the importation of equipment and newsprint paper, and the unfair competition of the State media.
Declare that the Member states of ECOWAS and Mauritania must:
Recognise the indivisible character of the freedom of press and respect the commitments they have signed within the framework of the international, regional and sub regional conventions reaffirming freedom, the independence and the safety of press and,
Act in favour of this objective by the abrogation of the laws on defamation and public insult.
Call the governments and the Parliaments of the Member States of ECOWAS and Mauritania to urgently examine and abolish all the other laws that limit the freedom of press.
Call the governments of the Member States of ECOWAS and Mauritania that imprisoned journalists in the exercise of their professional duties to release them immediately and to authorise the journalists in exile to return in their home country.
Condemn all forms of repression of the media in the ECOWAS region and Mauritania that make it possible to prohibit newspapers, and the use of other sanctions like the taxation laws on the importation on newsprint paper and the printing equipment and the suppression of the advertising interdiction in private newspapers.
Call the Member States of the ECOWAS and Mauritania to be conformed to the principles stated in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights and other protocols, and to offer constitutional guarantees to the freedom of press.
Promote the freedom of press, particularly helping Media’s, in the development of competences and the access to capital and the equipment.
Create a fund for the development of Medias and recommend that a priority be given to the legal reform of the media and in particular to the campaign for the removal in the West African region of the laws on defamation and public insult.
Condemn all forms of repression against Medias in the ECOWAS region and Mauritania that allow the interdiction of newspapers, an the use of other sanctions like the taxes on importation on the printing paper and all printing materials , and the suppression of advertisement.
The women and men of media of ECOWAS region and Mauritania participating to the regional seminar on the de-criminalisation of the press offence laws make this statement from Ouagadougou, by inviting solemnly all their States to recognise that political and economic progress that they wish can happen only in a climate of freedom, and where the press is free and independent of any governmental, political or economic control.
This Declaration will be presented to the President of the Commission of ECOWAS with the request that it is distributed to all the Member States of ECOWAS to be approved during its next meeting at the summit of the Heads of State.
Ouagadougou, 29 th of February 2008
Participants
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues
Issue No. 30/2008, 12 – 13 March 2008
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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