[WSIS CS-Plenary] Communiqué/Press release/comunicado

[arne]

PRESS RELEASE

Montréal, June 19, 2004. Freedom of expression groups set out reforms 
and guarantees needed for Tunisia to host the World Summit on the 
Information Society in November 2005.
Leading international freedom of expression groups, concerned about 
Tunisia's record on human rights and freedom of expression, have 
written to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, setting out a series 
of benchmarks and guarantees they expect from the Tunisian government 
in order for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to go 
ahead in Tunis in November 2005.
The proposals were drafted at the annual gathering of the International 
Freedom of Expression Exchange, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, 14-18 June 
2004. The call comes on the eve of the first preparatory committee 
meeting for the Tunisia phase of the World Summit on the Information 
Society. Further endorsements to this open letter are invited and can 
be sent to: amarc at amarc.org
Further information at the International Secretariat of AMARC: Tel. +1 
514 982 0351
________________________________________
Open Letter
addresses of all
signatories appended


His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary General of the United Nations
United Nations Organisation
New York, NY10017 – USA

cc. 	Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary General, ITU
Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director General, UNESCO


Baku, 18 June 2004

Dear Sir

We, freedom of expression organisations assembled at the General 
Meeting of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) in 
Baku, Azerbaijan on18 June 2004, write to express our deep and 
continuing concerns about plans to hold the UN World Summit on the 
Information Society in Tunis in 2005.

At the conclusion of the first phase of the WSIS, the Intergovernmental 
Summit in Geneva adopted a Declaration of Principles affirming the 
centrality of human rights and freedom of expression as fundamental 
principles for the information society.

Despite this, the Tunisian government continues to violate its 
commitments under the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration 
of Human Rights and the International Convention on Civil and Political 
Rights. The broadcast media remain dominated by the state, websites and 
newspapers critical of the government have been blocked or are 
prevented from publishing, censorship of the Internet is routine 
practice and Tunisia continues to imprison its citizens for exercising 
their freedom of expression.

We urge the United Nations and Member States to change the venue of the 
World Summit on the Information Society unless the government of 
Tunisia makes substantial progress on respect for human rights and 
freedom of expression. The following are basic and essential benchmarks 
for progress before holding the Summit in Tunisia:

1. The recognition of and respect for the unfettered right of human 
rights and other civil society groups including freedom of expression 
organisations to operate freely in Tunisia.

2. The dropping of charges against and the release of individuals 
jailed for exercising their right to freedom of expression consistently 
with international human rights law.

3. Reform of the media and communications environment including the 
right to establish independent media outlets and uncensored access to 
the Internet.

In addition we require clear guarantees concerning the Summit itself:

4. That all local and international human rights and other civil 
society organisations are free to participate in the Summit and to 
publish, broadcast or otherwise distribute and to receive material at 
and from the conference site without threat or practice of any form of 
censorship.

5. That local and international media will be able to report freely and 
without interference from the Summit including directly from the 
conference site.

We call on the United Nations and Member States to insist that the 
Tunisian government make these guarantees concerning the Summit itself 
and that it commit to substantial and measurable progress with respect 
to the benchmarks that we have set out above.

In the event that the Tunisian government is unwilling to make such 
commitments we urge the Secretary General of the United Nations to 
recommend the General Assembly reconsider its decision to hold the 
World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia.

Yours,


ARTICLE 19
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE)
Cartoonists Rights Network, International (CRN)
Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES)
Central Asian and Southern Caucasus Freedom of Expression Network 
(CASCFEN)
Centre for Journalism in Extreme Situations (CJES)
Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala (CERIGUA)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa  (Foundation for Press Freedom)
Freedom House
Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI)
Independent Journalism Centre (IJC), Moldova
Index on Censorship
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
Journaliste en danger (Journalist in Danger, JED)
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Media Rights Agenda
Norwegian PEN
PERIODISTAS, la Asociación para la Defensa del Periodismo Independiente
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)
Thai Journalists Association (TJA)
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)
World Association of Newspapers (WAN)
World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC)

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