Mohammad Ali Alnsour

Chief of Middle East and North Africa Section – UN for Human Rights

 

"This is very important venue to discuss freedom of expression and I think this is timely for the region to discuss and to find ways to avoid undermining freedom of expression in the Arab region. Especially, you know, in terms of the recent demands to close down Al-Jazeera Network. We and the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights we stated and we issued public statements basically refusing such demands and emphasizing the importance of respecting the freedom of expression and region and beyond. So this is very principal stand for the office of the High Commissioner for Human rights and we wish that the outcome of this international conference will be towards more protection for journalists and freedom of expression in the region. Unfortunately, in terms of conflicts and the armed conflict journalist pay a high price in many conflicts in Arab region. We documented hundreds of cases where journalist detained or killed by the conflicting parts. And of course you know that the purpose basically to hide true stories or not to show the atrocities of war to the public. And this is also another aspect of threatening the freedom of expression that we would definitely support any effort to add more protection, international protection to the journalist and freedom of expression during the conflict."

 

What are your expectations of this conference?

 

"We are hoping that for the region we will emphasize and enforce the protection of media and the protection of freedom of expression and basically to send a strong message to international community and region that the media should not be undermined due to any political hostilities or conflict or disagreement in the region or between nations."

 

Omar Farouq Osman 

SG National Union of Somali Journalists

 

"Well, we are in Doha today and we are attending the conference. One of the most important things is facing up to threat of the frame of the conference; yes we have to face the threat or we have to run away. We need to face it and for us we are coming together in different places. Yes of course Qatar and Somalia are two different countries in terms of situation of the freedom of expression and safety of journalists and press freedom. But it comes to us we need to share information and we need to exchange with our colleagues all around the world gathered here and we need to find how to tackle the common problems we faced. Threat is a threat. No matter it is small or big. Whatever it exists, threat is a threat. We have to face it. For us is to find out the strategies on how we tackle this threat if it is Somalia or if it is in Mexico or if it is in Colombia or it is in UK Threat is a threat and right to freedom of expression belongs to all of us."

 

Peter Kenny

Independent Newspaper Group

 

"So we are here today, we held the conference on freedom of expression facing up to the threat and I think it is pretty timely because there are regional threat to the freedom of press, as well as global threat to the freedom of press has been pointed out by speakers at this conference. I know that there is a question of threat of closure by some of the countries in the Gulf against Al-Jazeera which is unspeakable that it should not happened at all. We should allow freedom of expression to occur in all its forms. I think also we have been pointed out by speakers that freedom of expression is indivisible thing and more than one of speakers have pointed out that this is a fantastic chance for Qatar which was the place for Al-Jazeera was formed to become a beacon of freedom of expression in the region and in the world and to set it turn for Arab and Gulf states.

I certainly don’t think we are going to reach a state of freedom of expression in all lifetimes at least anywhere. One of speakers pointed out today that 21 years ago Al-Jazeera was the first Arabic station to allow a live interview and this set in form a trend in the region, but throughout the use of media while we can go forward freedom in one hand we can go backward on the other hand and some speakers said that there are threats to freedom by cyber security law for instance in some countries and people, politicians and states can often use laws like cyber security threats for their own political aims. It is very important to keep the debate on this clear and what is freedom of expression and of course responsibility, but what is actually being used against the freedom of expression."

 

Rose Lukalo

Managing Trustee Media Policy Research Center, Kenya

 

"I think this conference also gives us a chance to reflect and think about what is happening to us in terms of media freedom. And one of the things that we are seeing very clearly is as we move as we shift to internet we are getting new restrictions coming in, new efforts to control the media and it is very important that we work on this before it becomes new problem. Even though we are not very free on the continent of Africa as the many other places, we have gained a lot over the past years and we don’t want to lose that freedom. So it is very important that we know to take steps and take measures and it is beautiful to be able to work together, collectively. We don’t get many chances to meet collectively as a profession, to look at the problem collectively and I think this conference is very important for that reason. It gives us a chance to think, to work together and possibly in the future we can act together also."

 

Tim Dawson

President of the National Union of Journalists

 

"There are enormous threats to journalists at the moment from countries who lock them up. Turkey is a particular offender in that department from an economic model of journalism which is very much under threat with declining advertising markets and attention being taken away by the internet. These are difficult times to be journalists, but actually there is a  lot of brilliant journalism happening around the world at the moment and I think what we need to do is to find the ways to protect journalists doing that and to celebrate the work they are doing and to ensure that it has a broad audience."

 

Note that the conference organized by the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar, International Federation of Journalists and International Press Institute