Paris, 9 April 2008
For immediate release

The World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum have protested to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, against a UN decision to investigate the "abuse" of freedom of expression where it constitutes "religious discrimination."

In a letter to Mr Ban, the Paris-based WAN and WEF said a decision by the UN Human Rights Council to require its special rapporteur on freedom of expression to investigate such cases was part of "a negative trend against freedom of expression" within the Council.

"The Council’s resolution, proposed by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is part of a dangerous, backward campaign to equate critical portrayal of religion with racism," said Timothy Balding, the CEO of WAN.

"It is intolerable that a UN body should give credit to this thesis, which completely undermines the basis of freedom of opinion and expression enjoyed in democracies," he added. "Which groups will be next in line asking the United Nations to protect them from free opinion?"

The resolution by the Council, which requires the special rapporteur to investigate "abuse" of freedom of expression that "constitutes an act of racial or religious discrimination", goes against the spirit of the role of the special reporter and is unnecessary, said the letter to Mr Ban.

The resolution also fails to provide an "appropriate balance" between protecting freedom of expression and the need to limit incitement to racial and religious hatred, the letter said.

The UN Human Rights Council came into existence in 2006 as a replacement for the discredited UN Commission on Human Rights, which had been dominated but countries that abused human rights. But the new Council has also been criticised as a platform for human rights abusers seeking to undermine its work.

The full letter to Mr Ban can be found at http://www.wan-press.org/article168...

More WAN and WEF press freedom protests can be found at http://www.wan-press.org/protests.php3