AEJ MF Reports

AEJ MF Representative's Report of March 2010

AEJ MEDIA FREEDOM REPRESENTATIVE REPORT TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE IN ATHENS, MARCH 2010

Following the important success of tabling the Resolution on reviews of national laws on Terrorism in Council of Europe states which was passed at the Reykjavik miniserial conference in May 2009, there are several more advances to report.

In January 2010 the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE passed a Recommendation on Respect for Media Freedom to ministers, based largely on my AEJ Background Report delivered there in October 2009. It confirms plans for the Secretary-General and Secretariat to set up a continuous Monitoring Mechanism and database, measuring the performance of states against the 27 "Indicators for Media in Democracy" drawn up by he PACE. The Assembly especially called for the AEJ, together with the IFJ, Article 19 etc, to go on providing authoritative information on media freedom violations and attacks on media workers to the CoE.

Subsequently, the Committee of Ministers issued a Declaration in late January 2010, calling for better observance of the terms of Article 10 of the European Conventiion on Human Rights.

The AEJ has a chance to advance the cause again in new ways in the Steering Committee on Media (CDMC) a the next meeting in Strasbourg on June 4-7 2010, by making good use of the decision to hold special hearings on problem states and cases in the CDMC.

There will also be a review of the implementation of the terrorism laws reviews in all countries in the CDMC.

Also, following the Maastricht AEJ Congress of 2009, the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights told us he would welcome warnings from the AEJ of serious barriers to media freedom or cases of abuses of power or law against journalists.

This Excom is an opportunity for all Section reps to get to know more about these policy decisions, and CoE commitments on behalf of journalistic and media freedom. Also to shape future "soft laws" as texts in the CDMC. We must keep up pressure on governments and on the various CoE bodies responsible in all these areas.

The CoE Secretary-General Mr Jagland's office has said he may be willing to attend a future AEJ Congress as a guest speaker -- a great opportunity for us.

Finally, since the Excom and Congress of November 2009 I have sent a message of protest to the government of Belarus in solidarity with the AEJ's freinds on the Belarus Journalists Association, and posted various media-freedom related news items (on Spain etc) on the AEJ website.

I ask you all again to stay well informed about the AEJ's activities on the CDMC Committee and other dealings with the CoE. And to tell me, in detail and in writing, about other serious problems and concerns about Media Freedom in your country or anywhere in Europe!

Keep using the AEJ website to follow Media Freedom developments. I will assist Sections which want to pursue issues, or post news on the site.

William Horsley
Media Freedom Representative, Association of European Journalists

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