FN: Ytringsfriheden må ikke begrænses
FN’s Menneskerettighedskomite har vedtaget en fortolkning af Menneskerettigheds-erklæringen, der fastslår, at ytringsfrihed er en central del af menneskerettighederne.
Læs rapporten.
Læs artikel i Kristeligt Dagblad, fra den 30. juli
2011.
UN News Service skriver den 28. juli 2011:
UN human rights body criticizes restrictions on free
expression
The United Nations Human Rights Committee has issued a
commentary on freedom of expression that says anti-blasphemy laws
and restrictions on criticism of governments are incompatible with
existing norms and that free expression is essential for the
protection of human rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR) reported today.
The committee also said counter-terrorism measures, including
laws that outlaw acts that allegedly "encourage" or "justify"
terrorism, "should be clearly defined to ensure that they do not
lead to an unnecessary or disproportionate interference with
freedom of expression;" and laws against defamation of public
officials and heads of State "should not provide for more severe
penalties solely on the basis of the identity of the person that
may have been impugned."
The committee's report, entitled General Comment, is an
interpretation of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) which has 167 States parties. The UN Human
Rights Committee is an independent body tasked with supervising
compliance with the ICCPR.
"Prohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or
other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible
with the covenant," except in specific circumstances, it said, and
States "should not prohibit criticism of institutions, such as the
army or the administration."
The committee said that so-called "memory laws," which it
defined as "laws that penalize the expression of opinions about
historical facts," are also " incompatible with the obligations
that the covenant imposes on States parties in relation to the
respect for freedom of opinion and expression."
"General Comment is a comprehensive response to numerous
requests from lawmakers, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, rights
defenders and even journalists asking for clarification on many of
the issues covered by the rights to freedom of expression and
opinion,"
said committee member Michael O'Flaherty, the
principal drafter of the report.
"It is a strong reaffirmation of the central importance for all
human rights of the freedom of expression and sets out the very
strict parameters within which the right can be restricted by
States."
"Freedom of expression is a necessary condition for the
realization of the principles of transparency and accountability
that are, in turn, essential for the promotion and protection of
human rights," the report said.
"States parties should put in place effective measures to
protect against attacks aimed at silencing those exercising their
right to freedom of expression."
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