Human Rights and Press Freedom

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The Minister based his speech on the following points

 

Deputy Director General Souag, Al Jazeera reporters, producers and staff, dear friends,

 

1.

• It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to Oslo – and to this seminar on Human Rights and Freedom of Expression, organised by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights. I am very pleased that you have chosen to come to Norway (far away from Doha, Cairo and Khartoum) – on such a nice sunny day – to delve into these important issues. I hope that the seminar will meet your expectations. The Norwegian Centre for Human Rights has prepared what I am confident will be three stimulating days.
• First, regarding the Centre for Human Rights, the host of this seminar. Shows the importance and strength of such organisations and institutions in Norway. They are the Government’s contact point, they are your contact point. A leading institute in the Norwegian and European context. A thank you to you, Mr Butenschön.
• Second, that Al Jazeera is often on my screen these days; it is a TV channel I very often watch, and it is therefore a particular pleasure to welcome you. I have also had the chance to meet you many times, in situations where you have interviewed me, both in Norway and abroad. In fact, Al Jazeera is now everywhere, and you are working in “complementarity” (and independently) alongside all the other international news channels, CNN, BBC, etc. You give a broader picture with new angles, new pictures, stories we have not heard before, new questions, a sound scepticism. I watch Al Jazeera frequently. Some say that you were an active part of the Arab uprising, in informing and mobilising masses of people.
• Third, one man is missing. I am thinking of Ammar Al-Hamdan. As you all know, the initiative for organising this seminar was originally taken by Sami Al Haj last year. His colleagues in Oslo, Sameer Shatara and Ammar Al-Hamdan, followed up this initiative and developed the programme in collaboration with the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights and the Ministry. In February, Ammar visited his family and the Al Jazeera office in Doha and then decided to join an Al Jazeera team to cover the events in North Africa. When Ammar was arrested, we all held our breath. Ammar, who had worked on the programme for this seminar on human rights and freedom of expression. Suddenly he was right in the midst of these dramatic events and is now detained in one of Gaddafi’s prisons. We are doing everything we can to get him out, I hope he will be back in Norway soon.

 

2.

• Now, I also want to say, initially, on “why we are here”, that Norway has devoted considerable resources (both nationally and internationally) to the protection of human rights, and the promotion of respect for human dignity.
• As a member of the Human Rights Council, we are strongly committed to issues like the protection of human rights defenders – who they are, and the fact that they deserve our attention – and freedom of expression and the elimination of all forms of discrimination.
• It is all about people: about voices. During the past few months we have all witnessed – through your excellent stories and reports – people across the Middle East and North Africa take to the streets in peaceful protest, demanding human rights, the right to assemble, the right to meet. We have sensed a new unity and solidarity that gives hope for a better future. I was at the Tahrir Square a few weeks ago, the mood and people there, unique.

• Rarely have we seen this expressed so clearly as in North Africa. The people are calling for economic development, a better life and self-determination, freedom. And they know they are entitled to open, responsible and accountable political systems and politicians. They are calling for the right to assembly, the right to share their thoughts and experiences and speak their minds without fear. They are calling for the opportunity to use their education in the service of society.
• Now, far too often journalists are targeted by the parties to conflicts. This is why the adoption of Security Council resolution 1738 back in 2006 was an important step forward.
• It condemns, as you know, intentional attacks on journalists and other media professionals and associated personnel in situations of armed conflict, and calls on all parties to put an end to such practices.
• It also urges all states to comply with the relevant obligations under international law to end impunity, and to prosecute those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law.

• However, we still have a long way to go before the resolution is respected by all states, and impunity for those who do not respect the resolution 1738 has come to an end. I believe that increasing knowledge of the resolution and the responsibilities of states could be one first step on the long road to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

 

3.

• I am inspired by the fact that you have chosen to come from Doha to Oslo in the midst of the wave of uprisings sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East. Many Norwegians have been following the dramatic changes taking place by watching Al Jazeera and by reading your website during these dramatic months. You bring the events to us. You enable us to learn, understand and appreciate the many commonalities that characterise the hopes and dreams of people in Norway, North Africa and the Middle East.
• I want to commend Al Jazeera for the important position it has created for itself in the Middle East. You are quickly becoming one of the preferred channels for many of us who are following the situation in the region. And Al Jazeera seems to be putting great emphasis on providing the viewer with in-depth coverage of the conflicts in the region. You have put a large number of well qualified journalists on the ground, and we can profit from your knowledge, perspective and language skills. We benefit from the thorough analyses provided by experts in the region who are interviewed by Al Jazeera.
• Some have even called Al Jazeera’s coverage of these events heroic, meaning that the cost of being present in a hot spot, in a conflict zone, can be very high. The media have interviewed courageous protesters, soldiers who have deserted and soldiers who are very close to the line of fire. Some reporters have risked their lives and freedom while trying to do their job.

 

4.

• Now, my final point is this, more like a challenge, a task: I invite you to focus more on international humanitarian law (IHL), with reference to the situation in Libya and other countries. It is a solid body of law, and it should be studied more closely by journalists, including the way states practise and implement it. Look at the benchmarks. No country is above international humanitarian law; it protects citizens, gives a voice for the weak. It is a Norwegian foreign policy priority and we are cooperating with other countries to increase focus on it (seminar in New York 2009-2010).

 

5.

• We all recognise the importance of reporters being present in situations where dramatic, historic events and developments are taking place. Someone has to be there, despite the many dangers. Someone has to be an eyewitness and report the facts on the ground.
• Journalists all over the world are facing mounting difficulties in carrying out their duties. The Norwegian Government gives priority to the safety of media personnel, so that they can do their job, be eyewitnesses and inform the public. We support – among other things – the work being done by the International News Safety Institute, the International Federation of Journalists, the Norwegian Union of Journalists and Article 19, especially with regard to the safety and protection of journalists.
• Some of you were on the spot as the most dramatic events of the past few months unfolded. I hope you will share your experiences with us here at the seminar and when you meet Norwegian journalists and colleagues in Oslo.