How to retain press freedom while cracking down on terrorism

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/sep/09/press-freedom-cracking-down-terrorism

Version 0 of 1.

How can we preserve freedom of expression when societies are under attack from terrorism? Following the Isis attacks, heightened security in European capitals has made it more difficult to preserve our hard-won rights and freedoms.

While we want to be safe, we also want to retain our rights to personal privacy and to free expression. If we sacrifice those rights within our liberal democracies then the terrorists will have secured a victory of sorts.

Indeed, the likelihood is that a more authoritarian society will engender increased recruitment to terrorist groups. So what can be done?

Dunja Mijatović, the energetic representative on freedom of the media for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has come up with a practical guide aimed at ensuring the survival of our rights and values.

In an article published by Index on Censorship, she argues that counter-terrorism measures must comply with international standards, most notably article 19 of the UN covenant on civil and political rights.

Her major concern is to ensure that journalists can carry out their role with the greatest possible freedom so that they can continue to inform the public.

To that end, she has drawn a set of practical guidelines – a wish-list, if you like – that she believes the OSCE’s participating states should take on board when introducing anti-terrorism legislation:

Mijatović concludes: “Adherence to these simple rules is necessary because limiting the space for free expression and civic space advances the goals of those promoting, threatening and using terrorism and violence.

“If we give up on our fundamental freedoms we will erode the very substance of democracy and the rule of law.”