Annual Report 2015. Annual Report of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of ...

400 Pages·2016·8.03 MB·English

OEA/Ser.L/V/II.
Doc. 48/15
31 December 2015
Original: Spanish

Annual Report of the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights
2015

VOLUME II

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL
RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Edison Lanza
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression

GENERAL SECRETARIAT
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
WASHINGTON, D.C.
OAS Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Office of the Special Rapporteur
for Freedom of Expression.
Annual Report of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of
Expression: Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,
2015, vol.2 / Edison Lanza, Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.
v. ; cm. (OAS. Official records ; OEA/Ser.L/V/II)
ISBN 978-0-8270-6541-3
1. Freedom of information--America. 2. Freedom of Speech--America. 3. Civil
rights—America. 4. Human rights--America.
I. Lanza, Edison. II. Title. III. Series. OAS. Official records ; OEA/Ser.L.
OEA/Ser.L/V/II Doc.48/15 v.2

Document prepared and printed thanks to the financial support of Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency, and the governments of Costa Rica, Chile, France, Finland, Switzerland, Peru, United
States and Uruguay

Approved by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on December 31, 2015
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
2015

INDEX

TABLE OF ACRONYMS AND REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... vii
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
CHAPTER I: GENERAL INFORMATION............................................................................................................................................... 5
A. Creation of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and Institutional Support ..... 5
B. Mandate of the Office of the Special Rapporteur ............................................................................................................. 8
C. Principal Activities of the Office of the Special Rapporteur ........................................................................................ 9
1. Individual Case System ............................................................................................................................................................ 9
2. Precautionary Measures ....................................................................................................................................................... 17
3. Public Hearings ......................................................................................................................................................................... 19
4. Seminars and Workshops with Strategic Actors in the Region ........................................................................... 20
5. Annual report and development of expert knowledge ............................................................................................ 29
6. Special statements and declarations ............................................................................................................................... 30
D. Funding ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 31
E. Staff .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
CHAPTER II: EVALUATION OF THE STATE OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN THE HEMISPHERE ............... 35
A. Introduction and methodology .............................................................................................................................................. 35
B. Evaluation of the state of freedom of expression in the Member States ............................................................. 36
1. Argentina ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 36
2. Bahamas ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 63
3. Belize .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 63
4. Bolivia ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 64
5. Brazil .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 73
6. Canada ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 99
7. Chile ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 105
8. Colombia.................................................................................................................................................................................... 112
9. Costa Rica .................................................................................................................................................................................. 129
10. Cuba ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 132
11. Dominica ................................................................................................................................................................................... 138
12. Ecuador ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 139
13. El Salvador ................................................................................................................................................................................ 166
14. United States ............................................................................................................................................................................ 176
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15. Guatemala ................................................................................................................................................................................. 187
16. Haiti ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 205
17. Honduras ................................................................................................................................................................................... 207
18. Jamaica ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 239
19. Mexico ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 240
20. Nicaragua .................................................................................................................................................................................. 261
21. Panama ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 266
22. Paraguay .................................................................................................................................................................................... 271
23. Peru ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 278
24. Dominican Republic ............................................................................................................................................................. 288
25. Uruguay ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 290
26. Venezuela .................................................................................................................................................................................. 300
CHAPTER III: ACCESS TO INFORMATION, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF
JUSTICE IN THE AMERICAS ................................................................................................................................................................. 327
A. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................ 327
1. Objectives and scope of the report ................................................................................................................................ 327
2. Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................................ 328
B. Standards on the Right of Access to Public Information on Violence and Discrimination against
Women........................................................................................................................................................................................... 329
1. Content and Scope of the Right of Access to Information ................................................................................... 329
2. Main Guiding Principles Behind the Right of Access to Information ............................................................. 332
3. Restrictions on the Right of Access to Information ................................................................................................ 333
4. Access to Information on Discrimination and Violence against Women .................................................... 335
C. Access to State-Controlled Information in Cases of Discrimination and Violence against Women:
Principal Challenges ................................................................................................................................................................ 343
1. Shortcomings in the Availability, Quality, and/or Integrity of Public Information on Discrimination
and Violence against Women ........................................................................................................................................... 343
2. National Implementation of International Standards on Access to Information Managed by the State
in Relation to Discrimination and Violence against Women .............................................................................. 348
3. Challenges in the Area of the Administration of Justice to Guarantee Access to Information in
Relation to Discrimination and Violence against Women ................................................................................... 351
D. State Efforts in Relation to Access to Information in Cases of Discrimination and Violence Against
Women........................................................................................................................................................................................... 356
1. Statutory and Constitutional Recognition of the Right of Access to Information ..................................... 356
2. Establishment of Mechanisms for Compiling, Producing, and Disseminating Information on Cases of
Violence and Discrimination Against Women .......................................................................................................... 357
3. Initiatives to Promote Access to Information in the Administration of Justice ......................................... 358
E. Recommendations to the States ......................................................................................................................................... 359
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CHAPTER IV: HATE SPEECH AND INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE AGAINST LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL,
TRANS AND INTERSEX PERSONS IN THE AMERICAS ........................................................................................................... 361
A. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................ 361
B. Freedom of expression and equality ................................................................................................................................ 362
C. Definition of Hate Speech ...................................................................................................................................................... 363
D. Freedom of Expression and the prohibition of hate speech: Inter-American Law and Standards ...... 364
E. Hate Speech and Public Officials ........................................................................................................................................ 369
F. Non-legal measures to counter hate speech ................................................................................................................. 371
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................... 377
A. Violence against journalists and media outlets ........................................................................................................... 377
B. Social Protests ............................................................................................................................................................................ 378
C. Criminalization of expression and proportionality of subsequent liability .................................................... 379
D. Statements of high-level State authorities ..................................................................................................................... 379
E. Prior censorship ........................................................................................................................................................................ 380
F. Indirect Censorship .................................................................................................................................................................. 380
G. Internet .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 381
H. Surveillance programs and confidential sources ........................................................................................................ 381
I. Access to information ............................................................................................................................................................. 382
J. Diversity and Pluralism in the allocation of radio frequencies ............................................................................ 383
K. Hate speech and incitement to violence against LGBTI persons ......................................................................... 384
APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 387
Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and Responses to Conflict Situations ............................................... 387

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TABLE OF ACRONYMS AND REFERENCES

ACHPR: African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
American Convention: American Convention on Human Rights
American Declaration: American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man
Declaration of Principles: Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression
European Convention: European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms
European Court: European Court of Human Rights
IACHR: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
ICCPR: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ILO: International Labor Organization
Inter-American Court: Inter-American Court of Human Rights
OAS: Organization of American States
OSCE: Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Office of the Special Rapporteur: Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression
UN: United Nations
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

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