The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by Nepal, provides that “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice” (ICCPR article 19(b)). The Covenant also provides that such rights may be “subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and necessary: (a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; (b) For the protection of national security or of public order, or of public
health or morals” (ICCPR article 19(c)). The Human Rights Committee, which is responsible for interpreting and monitoring implementation of the ICCPR, has emphasized that restrictions on the exercise of freedom of expression must be necessary and proportional and must not put in jeopardy the right itself. The Committee also emphasizes that the State must specify the precise nature of the threat which justifies the restrictions and that overly general restrictions with harsh penalties can lead to interpretations that arbitrarily restrict freedom of expression, violating the Covenant.
OHCHR is examining provisions of the new Media Ordinance which considerably expand
existing restrictions on the right to freedom of expression. OHCHR considers these restrictions too broad, ambiguously worded, and insufficiently focused on a specific threat. A general ban on the broadcast of news, recently enforced against FM radio, has been effectively introduced, without specifying any threat to national security or public order.
#pressrelease #humanrights
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Publisher:
UNOHCHR
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(2005
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Type / Script:
Press Release
in English
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Keywords:
DEMOCRACY, DUTY OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE COMMUNITY, LIBERALISM, SOCIAL CONTROL, GOVERNMENT POLICY, HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, SOCIAL POLICY, HUMAN RIGHTS INDICATORS
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Thematic Group:
UNOHCHR
:
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
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Thesaurus:
14.02.02
- Human Rights
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Reference Link:
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