Fara Armenteros, UPECI / CubaNet
HAVANA, October - Despite the fact freedom of the press is a way of
guaranteeing respect for human rights, the recent Congress of Latin American and
Caribbean journalists held in Havana did not mention in its final declaration
that the Cuban people are deprived of this freedom.
However, those journalists who participated in the congress come from
democratic countries where they can freely express themselves. They can also
freely take part in congresses held in Cuba or anywhere else in the world and
return to their countries and resume work without suffering police repression.
The Latin American and Caribbean journalists meeting in Havana came out
against terrorism and war, analyzed the continent's economic problems, the
manipulation of news and censorship, among other things.
But there was no room for Cuba's independent journalists at this event, even
though they enjoy the recognition of readers outside the country, because
publication of their works is prohibited inside the country.
The Latin American and Caribbean colleagues ignore article 19 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of Windhoek, which
proclaim freedom of the press essential to all democratic and economic
development, and which states that censorship should be declared illegal for
being contrary to human rights.
Nor did the journalists take into consideration the expression of José
Martí when he said: "Freedom is the right of all honorable men to
think and speak without hypocrisy."
Versión
original en español
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