AU Special Rapporteur Seeks Public Consultation on the Draft Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa

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Lawrence Mute Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, Commissioner Lawrence Mute.
Lawrence Mute
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, Commissioner Lawrence Mute.

The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, Commissioner Lawrence Mute of Kenya, , as part of hisinitiative to revise the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa, has launched  public consultations, calling for inputs from State Parties, civil society and other stakeholders, on the draft text to update the Principles originally adopted  in October 2002

The Special Rapporteur is one of the special mechanisms of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission).

Revision of the Declaration is being undertaken in pursuance of Resolutions 362, 350 and 222 of the African Commission, which mandated the Special Rapporteur, in conjunction with State Parties, civil society and other stakeholders, to revise and/or expand the Declaration to cover freedom of expression and access to information issues which may have been only part-included or not included at all in the Declaration, while also taking account of developments in the internet age.

The draft Declaration on Principles of Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa (Draft Declaration) was developed under the leadership of the Special Rapporteur.

Inputs for revision from state and non-state stakeholders on the draft Declaration should reach the Special Rapporteur by close of business on July 1, 2019. Contributions should be sent to the Secretariat of the African Commission by email to au-banjul@africa-union.org.

The draft Declaration is available in English, French and Portuguese versions for download at http://www.achpr.org/files/news/2019/04/d375/draft_declaration_of_principles_on_freedom_of_expression_in_africa_eng.pdf