Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
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missi<strong>on</strong>, held from 17-23 October<br />
2002 in Banjul, The Gambia (<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
final communiqué of this sessi<strong>on</strong> is<br />
available at: (http://www.achpr.org/<br />
english/communiques/communique32_en.html).<br />
Remarkably, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> commissi<strong>on</strong><br />
introduced very few changes. Some<br />
were made to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> preamble of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
declarati<strong>on</strong> and, in a few cases,<br />
language was watered down slightly.<br />
No substantive provisi<strong>on</strong>s were<br />
added and <strong>on</strong>ly two – calling for<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> repeal of criminal defamati<strong>on</strong><br />
laws and for states not to abuse<br />
immigrati<strong>on</strong> powers to limit <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
free movement of journalists – were<br />
removed. Perhaps ir<strong>on</strong>ically, at its<br />
48th Sessi<strong>on</strong> in November 2010, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Commissi<strong>on</strong> adopted a Resoluti<strong>on</strong><br />
<strong>on</strong> Repealing Criminal Defamati<strong>on</strong><br />
Laws in Africa.<br />
The communiqué states simply that<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> commissi<strong>on</strong> adopted <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> declarati<strong>on</strong>,<br />
without providing any detail<br />
about how that happened. However,<br />
from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> informati<strong>on</strong> I have<br />
received, it is clear that discussi<strong>on</strong>s<br />
around <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> draft declarati<strong>on</strong> were<br />
extremely difficult and that several<br />
commissi<strong>on</strong>ers ex<strong>press</strong>ed c<strong>on</strong>siderable<br />
reluctance to support <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> declarati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
I believe <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> fact that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> declarati<strong>on</strong><br />
was adopted is due, in very large<br />
measure, to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> emphatic, even<br />
insistent, support of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> members<br />
of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> working group. Indeed,<br />
without <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir steadfast support <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
declarati<strong>on</strong> would probably never<br />
have been adopted.<br />
This is perhaps understandable. Few,<br />
if any, countries in Africa, or in o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<br />
regi<strong>on</strong>s of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world for that matter,<br />
can claim to c<strong>on</strong>form to all of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
provisi<strong>on</strong>s of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> declarati<strong>on</strong>, and<br />
many fall woefully short of meeting<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> standards it proclaims. Although<br />
commissi<strong>on</strong>ers are supposed to be<br />
independent, this is not always <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
case in practice. Fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rmore, even<br />
independent individuals from reas<strong>on</strong>ably<br />
democratic countries may<br />
52 | Media in Africa - 2011<br />
be reluctant to endorse a document<br />
which highlights <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> democratic<br />
shortcomings of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir home nati<strong>on</strong>s.<br />
Fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rmore, official bodies, even<br />
those which promote human rights,<br />
tend almost by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir very natures<br />
to be c<strong>on</strong>servative, especially as<br />
measured vis-à-vis state practice.<br />
Thus, it is rare for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se bodies to<br />
adopt decisi<strong>on</strong>s which run c<strong>on</strong>trary<br />
to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> practice of most states, even<br />
if <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re are str<strong>on</strong>g, principled human<br />
rights reas<strong>on</strong>s for this. Yet many<br />
of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> provisi<strong>on</strong>s in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> African<br />
declarati<strong>on</strong> fall precisely into this<br />
category. There is nothing in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
declarati<strong>on</strong> which is not founded<br />
<strong>on</strong> a clear and str<strong>on</strong>g principled<br />
analysis of internati<strong>on</strong>al guarantees<br />
of <strong>freedom</strong> of ex<strong>press</strong>i<strong>on</strong>. And yet<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> practical achievement of many<br />
of its provisi<strong>on</strong>s remains elusive in<br />
many countries.<br />
These challenges make it all <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
more remarkable and commendable<br />
that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> African Commissi<strong>on</strong> did<br />
adopt such a robust and forwardlooking<br />
declarati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> <strong>freedom</strong><br />
of ex<strong>press</strong>i<strong>on</strong>. Years <str<strong>on</strong>g>after</str<strong>on</strong>g> it was<br />
adopted it remains as relevant as<br />
ever, providing a beac<strong>on</strong> of light<br />
and directi<strong>on</strong> to those who promote<br />
<strong>freedom</strong> of ex<strong>press</strong>i<strong>on</strong> – not <strong>on</strong>ly in<br />
Africa but around <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world.