International System of Protection

In the first segment of the MOOC 'International and African Legal Framework on Freedom of Expression, Access to Information and the Safety of Journalists' developed by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria with the support of UNESCO, professor Frans Viljoen gives a general introduction to Human Rights. Viljoen explains the different State obligations, the international sources from which these obligations are derived, and the monitoring mechanisms available in the universal system and in the Africa system in particular. Finally, Viljoen explains the link between freedom of expression and democracy.

This segment is part of Module 1 of the MOOC: General Introduction to the International and Regional Framework on Freedom of Expression

Chapter 12 of Human Rights in the Administration of Justice, a manual and facilitator’s guide developed by the UN OHCHR in collaboration with the IBA, pertains to the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, expression, association and assembly. The learning objectives of this chapter are: “1.) To familiarize the participants with some other key rights, namely freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, expression, association and assembly, and their importance in a society that is respectful of human rights in general; 2.) To illustrate how these freedoms, as well as the limitations attached to the exercise of most of them, are interpreted by the international monitoring bodies; 3.) To explain the role of judges, prosecutors and lawyers in safeguarding the freedoms dealt with in this chapter.”

In this segment of the MOOC 'Freedom of Expression in the Age of Globalization' created by Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, Agnès Callamard focuses on how Africa followed suit adopting its own provision for the protection of freedom of expression and establishing a number of institution responsible for overseeing state compliance of their commitment.

"This article examines the ‘Joint Declarations on freedom of expression’ from a critical perspective. Since 1999, these Joint Declarations have been adopted annually by the four intergovernmental mechanisms on freedom of expression with the assistance of two non-governmental organisations. This article identifies the factors which contribute to the Joint Declarations’ value, with a specific focus on the collaborative process leading up to their adoption, their progressive content and their demonstrated influence upon courts and other actors. It also acknowledges the limitations of the texts, including their non-binding nature as soft law, their limited impact and lack of visibility. Notwithstanding these issues, this article contends that the Joint Declarations constitute a distinct and potentially influential body of international soft law on freedom of expression, one whose relevance to policy debates deserves broader recognition."

"This toolkit was created by International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) to share strategies for defending media freedoms in the digital age with lawyers and human rights defenders. ISLP’s Media Law Working Group has, for the past 20 years, protected freedom of expression by supporting journalists and watchdog non-governmental organizations that investigate, report on, and litigate matters involving the right to freedom of expression. ISLP’s Media Law Working Group also provides legal advice on telecommunications, freedom of information, and privacy laws. ISLP believes that freedom of expression is necessary for a transparent, accountable, and democratic government and is the foundation of a free society. This toolkit was developed from the publishers’ experience working with lawyers, journalists, and human rights defenders in Southern and Eastern Africa. ISLP has worked with local Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) chapters to train lawyers and human rights defenders from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe on protecting freedom of expression using international law arguments. The practical information provided in this toolkit is designed to enable local advocates to use international law in regional bodies to defend freedom of expression and argue for stronger human rights protections in SADC. This resource focuses on international law arguments to defeat criminal defamation and cyber libel charges brought against journalists and bloggers."

"Este kit de ferramentas foi criado pelo International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) para partilhar estratégias de defesa da liberdade dos meios de comunicação social na era digital com advogados e defensores dos direitos humanos. O Grupo de Trabalho de Direito dos Media do ISLP tem, nos últimos 20 anos, protegido a liberdade de expressão apoiando jornalistas e organizações não governamentais de vigilância que investigam, relatam e litigam assuntos que envolvem o direito à liberdade de expressão. O Grupo de Trabalho de Direito dos Media do ISLP também fornece aconselhamento jurídico relacionado com telecomunicações, liberdade de informação e leis de privacidade. O ISLP acredita que a liberdade de expressão é necessária para um governo transparente, responsável e democrático e é a base de uma sociedade livre. Este kit de ferramentas foi desenvolvido a partir da experiência dos editores em trabalhar com advogados, jornalistas e defensores dos direitos humanos na África Austral e Oriental. O ISLP tem trabalhado com as secções locais do Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) na formação de advogados e defensores dos direitos humanos do Malawi, Moçambique, Zâmbia e Zimbabué sobre a protecção da liberdade de expressão utilizando argumentos do direito internacional. A informação prática fornecida neste kit de ferramentas foi concebida para permitir que os defensores locais utilizem o direito internacional em órgãos regionais para defender a liberdade de expressão e argumentar a favor de uma maior protecção dos direitos humanos na SADC. Este recurso centra-se em argumentos de direito internacional para defender contra acusações criminais de difamação e ciberdifamação apresentadas contra jornalistas e bloguistas."