[WSIS CS-Plenary] press release from human rights caucus

[dbronson at ichrdd.ca]

HUMAN RIGHTS CAUCUS CONCERNED ABOUT WSIS OUTCOME

GENEVA, DECEMBER 7, 2003 -- The civil society Human Rights Caucus of the 
World Summit on the Information Society has many reasons to be concerned 
as thousands of delegates converge on Geneva for the World Summit.    The 
Caucus, which includes more than 40 organisations, has been working since 
the first preparatory meetings 18 months ago to ensure that human rights 
are not left off the WSIS agenda.

Our first concern is about the lack of political will to address the 
effective implementation of human right standards and how ICTs can serve 
to enforce these. Rather than forward-looking strategies that address the 
new potential and challenges posed by ICTs for human rights, time and 
resources have been spent on defending principles that were agreed upon 55 
years ago. Even banal references to the Universal Declaration on Human 
Rights have been debated and contested right up until the last hour. This 
opportunity to bring the human rights agenda forward has been squandered. 

The caucus has been involved in WSIS precisely because it was an important 
opportunity to carry the human rights agenda forward. We aimed to actually 
translate human rights principles to the context of the information 
society.   Unfortunately, our task has become defending the formal 
commitment to previously reached international consensus, that is, 
preventing complete backtracking on human rights. 

(More information on the caucus’s interventions throughout the process can 
be found at www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis)

The second concern of the Human Rights Caucus is the ongoing deplorable 
human rights situation in Tunisia, scheduled to host phase 2 of the Summit 
in 2005. The caucus joins many others in rejoicing that webmaster Zouhair 
Yahyaoui has been conditionally released and hopes that he and others 
imprisoned for exercising their human rights will be free from official 
harassment and intimidation. The caucus considers this first move on the 
part of the Tunisian government a step in the right direction.  But this 
does not change the fact that there are very serious problems remaining to 
be solved in order for WSIS Phase Two to take place in Tunisia in 
acceptable conditions.

The most significant problems are the lack of freedom of speech and 
freedom of information, the tight controls on the use of the internet, the 
strict control over the media, and the constant intimidation and 
harassment of people who dare to criticize the regime, however mildly.

The human rights caucus will be active throughout the Summit this week in 
Geneva.      Amongst other activities, the Caucus is a co-sponsor of the 
World Forum on Communication Rights in the Information Society, to take 
place on December 11 at Palexpo.     With well-known human rights leaders 
from countries where the information society is tightly controlled 
(Souhayr Belhassen from the Tunisian Human Rights League and Sharon Hom 
from Human Rights in China) in addition to keynote Aminata Traoré, the 
session promises an excellent overview of some of the most contentious 
issues of the Summit.   The programme can be found here: 
www.communicationrights.    It takes place in Palexpo, Salle Mont-Blanc, 
starting from 9:30am.

-30-

For more information:  Diana Bronson:  41 079 296 4782 or 
dbronson at ichrdd.ca

Diana Bronson
Rights and Democracy/Droits et Démocratie
www.ichrdd.ca

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