Freedom of Expression, Information and the Press in Southeast Asia

Presentation by Ed LegaspiAlerts and Communication OfficerSoutheast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)

SEAPA

• Members in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand; partners in Cambodia, Burma, and Timor Leste

• Programs: Campaigns (Press freedom, FOE in the Internet and in ASEAN), Fellowship and Trainings

• Through: Advocacy, Networking, Training and Knowledge building

Freedom of Opinion and Expression

• Human right to freedom?• Internationally and nationally protected• Not absolute (derogable)

Of all human beings

Negative right

Look it up:Constitution, laws

UDHR, ICCPR, AHRD

Understanding FOE

Freedom to hold opinions

Right to seek, receive and impart

All kinds of information and ideas

Without interference *

Through any media

Regardless of frontiers

to disagree

press freedomSelf-expression

From public authority

No censorship

Beyond borders

Right toinformationpluralism

PrintBroadcast

OnlineArt

FilmSound

Which countries ratified ICCPR?

• Cambodia (‘92)• Indonesia (‘06)• Laos (’09)• Philippines (‘78)• Thailand (‘91)• Timor Leste (‘03)• Vietnam (‘84)

• Bangladesh (‘00)• India (‘79)• Maldives (‘06)• Nepal (‘91)• Pakistan (‘10)• Sri Lanka (‘80)

• Korea, DPR (‘81)• Korea, Republic of (‘76)• Japan (’79)• Mongolia (’76)

Legal obligations toA) ImplementB) Report

Legal FOE issues

• ICCPR in only 7 out of 11 countries• FOI laws only in Indonesia and Thailand (plus

Selangor and Penang in Malaysia)• Press control laws: Brunei, Burma, Malaysia,

Singapore• Security laws: sedition, subversion, national security• Criminal laws: defamation, lese majeste, anti-state

propaganda• The rise of cybercrime laws

FOE issues in practice

• Violence and impunity against the media by state and non-state actors

• State interference in the media – Surveillance, censorship

• Self-censorship• Disregard of good laws (press and FOI)• Criminalization of expression = suppressing

freedom of opinion

Some good news

• Burma’s transition• Civil society power• Common ASEAN human rights standard• Changing media landscape

Sustainable? Attention; potential

How effective?

Implementable?

National, regional

•New space•New actors•New power•New battle ground

Directions

• Mainstream media transition to cyberspace• Role of bloggers in restrictive countries• Changing communication models• Internet governance • Addressing the question of ethics• Changing priorities: from press freedom to

freedom of expression

Implications to SEAPA

• Evaluating and campaigning on bad cybercrime laws

• Examining the situation of blogging and social media in greater detail

• Cooperating with blogger communities • … and your suggestions?

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