Big Secrets , Less Democracy
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, AMARC, denounces the climate of censorship and repression against managers and organisers of wikileaks. The reaction of governments to the information distributed by wikileaks ignores the need for citizens to exercise their right to be informed on the actions of their governments. It is disturbing that in this hostile context against freedom of expression there have been actions that question the fundamental right of access to information. AMARC, a world association assembling community radios from all continents over the world, believes it is necessary to place this discussion on the context of access to information as a fundamental right in a democratic society. We note that it is the same governments that usually promote transparency as a key value of democratic coexistence that seek to repress today the distribution of basic information giving wider access and knowledge to citizens of the actions of public authorities. In this perspective, there is a need for governments to recognize that technologies such as the Internet are spaces for public accountability and offer tools that facilitate good governance and transparency. This should lead to changes to the culture of secrecy that has governed the state policies of the main superpowers. It is necessary to recognize that citizens have the right to interact with government management and to expand the domains open to public scrutiny. We express our solidarity with all those that make openly available information about States' violations of human rights, because those actions highlight the rights of citizens to act in defence of human rights and the rule of law. We believe that States must abstain from actions leading to direct or indirect censorship such as putting pressure on the providers of services associated with media development or by blocking the free access of citizens to the media. We affirm the need to protect communicators from countermeasures related to the exercise of their communication rights. Such protection should be based on recognition of the fundamental right of access to information and of freedom of opinion and expression and should consider in formation as a public good protected by principles recognized by international law. Community Radios have experience of acts of repression and censorship. We have learned that when media is silenced, all society looses the opportunity for free coexistence. We also know that censorship cannot silence all the voices of an organized citizenship willing to express itself. We call upon the international community to stop all actions of global censorship against wikileaks and to assure full respect of international standards of freedom of expression. Maria Pia Matta President of AMARC Santiago December 29th, 2010
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