Fw: Amsterdam Declaration on Freedom of the Media and the Internet

["John Barker" <johnb@article19.org.za>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Noorlander" <Peter@article19.org>
To: "ARTICLE" <ARTICLE@article19.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 2:56 PM
Subject: FW: Amsterdam Declaration on Freedom of the Media and the Internet


> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Christian Moeller [mailto:Christian.Moeller@osce.org] 
> Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 13:42
> To: undisclosed-recipients
> Subject: Amsterdam Declaration on Freedom of the Media and the Internet
> 
> 
> 
> OSCE MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE ISSUES AMSTERDAM RECOMMENDATIONS DEFENDING
> FREEDOM OF THE INTERNET
> 
> 
> VIENNA, 17 June 2003 - At the end of a two-day conference on
> Internet-related perils to freedom of expression, the OSCE
> Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve has issued a call
> for the OSCE to take up a strong position towards free flow of
> information on the Internet.
> 
> The so-called Amsterdam Recommendations on Freedom of the Media and the
> Internet were issued at the conclusion of the conference held on 13 and
> 14 June 2003 in the City Hall of Amsterdam. The event brought together
> more than 25 experts from international organizations, media, academia,
> specialised NGOs from Europe and the U.S. as well as from the European
> Parliament, Council of Europe, European Commission and OSCE. 
> 
> Topics discussed at the conference ranged from technical framework, the
> influence of code and the economic framework to the regulation of
> decentralised networks and different aspects of access to information. 
> 
> "Freedom of the Media as a human right is universal. No matter what
> technical means are used to channel the work of journalists to the
> public - be it TV, radio, newspapers or the Internet - the basic
> constitutional value of freedom of the media must not be questioned,"
> Freimut Duve said in his opening remarks to the conference.
> 
> "The advantages of a vast network of online resources and the free flow
> of information outweigh the dangers of misusing the Internet. But
> criminal exploitation of the Internet cannot be tolerated," he added,
> "Illegal content must be prosecuted in the country of its origin but
> all legislative and law enforcement activity must clearly target only
> illegal content and not the infrastructure of the Internet itself."
> 
> Besides regulatory and legal framework, the importance of the
> underlying technology for a free infrastructure was stressed. "Freedom
> of Information starts with a free infrastructure", said Alberto Escudero
> Pascual of the Royal Swedish Institute of Technology.
> 
> "Combining all these different issues, I am sure the conference will
> contribute to the groundwork for the future of both technology and
> freedom," Mr. Duve said, "The Amsterdam Recommendations are a first step
> of the OSCE taking a strong position towards the free flow of
> information and freedom of the media on the Internet."
> 
> For more information, biographies of the participants and contributions
> please take a look at the conference website:
> http://www.osce.org/events/fom/amsterdam/.
> 
> The full text of the Amsterdam Recommendation can be found here:
> http://www.osce.org/documents/rfm/2003/06/215_en.pdf
> 
> 
> 
> 
>

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Attachment: PR Amsterdam Recs 17 June 2003.pdf
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