OAS Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression
The office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression of the Organization of American States (OAS) was established by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in 1997 to monitor OAS member states' compliance with the American Convention on Human Rights in the area of freedom of expression.
The office analyses complaints of free expression violations received by the IACHR and advises the Commission on cases, including requests for "precautionary measures" from OAS member states to protect journalists and others who face threats or the risk of irreparable harm.
In cases involving a serious violation of freedom of expression, the Special Rapporteur issues press releases about the information it has received, expresses its concern to the authorities, and makes recommendations for re-instating this right. In other cases, the Special Rapporteur directly contacts government authorities to obtain further information and/or to request that the government take measures to rectify the harm that has been inflicted.
The Special Rapporteur also makes recommendations to OAS member states to reform laws and regulations that violate free expression rights guaranteed under the Convention.
The Special Rapporteur participates in education, training and other activities to promote the right to freedom of expression and support local journalists and human rights defenders, and conducts fact-finding missions to investigate reports of abuses in OAS member states.
Each year, the Rapporteur issues an annual report detailing the state of press freedom and freedom of expression in each country in the Americas.
The OAS Rapporteur is one of the three International Mechanisms for Promoting Freedom of Expression, the others being the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. Each year, they issue a joint declaration calling attention to worldwide free expression concerns.[1]
Recent crisis
Template:Cleanup-sect The designation of Venezuelan Ignacio Álvarez as Special Rapporteur in April 2006 was highly criticised by governments and civil society as he was not considered the most suitable candidate for the position.[2] In October 2007, Commissioners Paolo Carozza and Víctor Abramovich made a public statement revealing there were "hidden pressures from political actors" to reverse a decision to replace Álvarez as Special Rapporteur. The document stated that in February 2007 the Commission decided to fire Álvarez and open a new search for a Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression.[3] Apparently, the February 2007 decision was kept secret to protect Álvarez's reputation. In their statement, Carozza and Abramovich accused Álvarez of using his personal influence to undermine the February 2007 decision so he could stay longer in the Special Rapporteurship. Abramovich and Carozza underscored that instead of using the seven-month period to look for another job, Álvarez used the time to lobby to keep it, even urging OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza to put pressure on the Commission:
“The delay from February to October in publicly announcing the new competition was intended, by all the Commissioners concerned, to reduce any potential weakening of the current Special Rapporteur’s credibility and authority while he continued in office, and to give him sufficient opportunity to look for another position in the meantime, if he so wished. Regrettably, the Special Rapporteur did not use the seven months of the Commission’s self-imposed discretion for those intended purposes. Instead, the lack of publicity of the Commission’s decision allowed the Special Rapporteur, and others on his behalf, to do everything possible to undermine and reverse the Commission’s prior decision. This effort included not only lobbying individual Commissioners to change their position, but also inviting diplomatic missions of the OAS Member States to intervene in the Commission’s decision and even urging the OAS Secretary General to put pressure on the Commission by asserting control over the Special Rapporteur’s employment contract in opposition to the Commission’s decision. In short, the Special Rapporteur deliberately encouraged outside political interference in a matter which we believe is and must be fundamentally within the sole control of the Commission itself."
In another part of the statement, the Commissioners highlighted that by February 2007, Álvarez had "lost the endorsement of almost the entire Commission" and that he tried to undermine "the Commission’s autonomy in order to serve his self-interest." "He has manipulated his position of trust against the body to which he is supposed to be accountable," they added.
On 10 March 2008, after several months of uncertainty, Álvarez finally resigned from his position, citing "professional reasons".[4][5] The same day, just a few hours later, the Commission announced a public competition for the election of a new Special Rapporteur.[6]
Álvarez's time in the Special Rapporteurship has been considered by many as a political and financial disaster.[7] A new Special Rapporteur is expected to take office by October 2008.
Special Rapporteurs
- Dr. Santiago A. Canton (Argentina) : 1998–2002
- Dr. Eduardo Bertoni (Argentina) : 2002–2005
- Dr. Ignacio Álvarez (Venezuela): 2006–March 2008