At least 13 civil society organisations have congratulated Irene Khan to her new role as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
The organisations include: ARTICLE 19, Access Now, Amnesty International, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), IFEX, Association for Progressive Communications (APC), DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) and European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL).
Others are; IFEX-ALC, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Free Press Unlimited and World Movement for Democracy
‘’Irene Khan has long been recognised as a champion of the causes of international human rights law, and we look forward to seeing her continue this in her promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression. The undersigned civil society organisations reiterate our strong support for the mandate, as well as our commitment and readiness to work together to navigate critical issues for freedom of expression and ensure the widest protection to this right for everyone without discrimination’’, they said in a statement released earlier this week.
‘’ We stand ready to support the new mandate holder and look forward to working collaboratively and constructively together over the next six years to address the most pressing freedom of expression concerns of the day’’, the statement added.
The organisations commended Irene Khan and expressed strong support for the vital work of the mandate.
Since its creation in 1993, the mandate has proven essential in the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression worldwide. The mandate’s innovative annual reports have set increasingly progressive international standards, while thousands of communications to governments and 39 country visits have contributed to the protection of people at risk and ensured accountability for abuses and violations.
Segun Fatuase
[email protected]
08023092925
