633 Results
Quotes
Quotes based on international documents, law, and treaties- "States parties condemn all propaganda and all organizations which are based on ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group of persons on one color or ethnic origin, or which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form, and undertake to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitement to, or acts of, such discrimination and, to this end, with due regard to the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the rights expressly set forth in article 5 of this Convention, inter alia: (a) Shall declare an offence punishable by law all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred, incitement to racial discrimination, as well as all acts of violence or incitement to such acts against any race or group of persons of another color or ethnic origin, and also provision of any assistance to racist activities including the financing thereof."
- "Any propaganda for war and any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitute incitements to lawless violence or to any other similar action against any person or group of persons on any grounds including those of race, colour, religion, language or national origin shall be considered offences punishable by law."
- "All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination."
- "The authorities should ensure that the media have the right to gather and report information freely, without intimidation or obstruction, and that there is no censorship of either the media or candidates."
- "The legal framework must address a myriad of issues to ensure a genuine opportunity to exercise the right to vote on the basis of equal and universal suffrage. These issues concern conditions outside the polling sites, as well as inside it, before, during and after voting takes place. The provisions must ensure, among other things, that: ...Voter identification and related procedures that are nondiscriminatory concerning race, color, religion, language, national origin, other status or political or other opinion, that prevent disenfranchisement of eligible voters and avert illegal voting."
- "Where voters are required to prove their eligibility through showing identification papers, documentation constituting valid proof should be outlined in law and should be the same for all voters."
- "We commit our Governments to: d) safeguard the human and civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of…expression…as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders, during electoral processes."
- "Individuals or political parties shall have the right to freedom of movement, to campaign and to express political opinions with full access to the media and information within the limits of the laws of the land."
- "Provide that no legal or administrative obstacle stands in the way of unimpeded access to the media on a non-discriminatory basis for all political groupings and individuals wishing to participate in the electoral process."
- "SADC Member States shall adhere to the following principles in the conduct of democratic elections: Equal opportunity for all political parties to access the state media."
- "It is generally accepted that [the public media] should not be political partisan in their editorial coverage. This was the view set out by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, in his 1999 report, when he spoke of the obligation of the state-owned media to give voice to a variety of opinions and not to be a propaganda organ for one particular political party. Also, they have particular obligations to provide civic education, as well as to provide a platform for the different political parties. This point is fundamental. Use of a public resource for partisan political campaigning carries all the same legal and ethical implications whether the resource is funds, a vehicle, a building, or a radio station. This is why there are so often clear laws or regulations protecting public media against government interference."
- "...the State and its organs should therefore ensure: That parties and candidates are free to communicate their views to the electorate, and that they enjoy equality of access to State and public-service media."
- "[G]overnment regulation of the media is of crucial importance to a meaningful election campaign. While larger and better financed parties and candidates may be able to purchase media time or space, an equitable formula should be reached to permit all contestants reasonable access to public print and electronic media."
- "Arrangements for fair media access by candidates and parties are an important focus of electoral law. This is especially evident where the major information media are government-controlled. Media regulations should provide for safeguards against political censorship, unfair government advantage and unequal access during the campaign period."
- "With these broad principles in mind, the Special Rapporteur wishes to emphasize that in pre-election periods... (e) Airtime for direct access programmes is granted on a fair and non-discriminatory basis; the time allocated to parties or candidates is sufficient for them to communicate their messages and for the voters to inform themselves about the issues, party positions, qualifications and character of candidates."
- "With these broad principles in mind, the Special Rapporteur wishes to emphasize that in pre-election periods…Media inform the public about the political parties, candidates, campaign issues and voting processes; government media are balanced and impartial in election reporting, do not discriminate against any political party or candidate in granting access to air time and ensure that news, interview and information programmes are not biased in favour of, or against any party or candidate."
- "Access to the mass media should also be guaranteed to political parties and candidates, and such access should be fairly distributed. Fair media access implies not only allocation of broadcast time or print space to all parties and candidates, but also fairness in the placement of timing of such access (i.e. prime-time versus late-night broadcasts, or front-page versus back-page publication)."
- "Media regulations should provide safeguards against political censorship, unfair government advantage and unequal access during the campaign period."
- "Access of candidates and political parties particularly in respect of public Media, should follow the principle of equality of opportunity."
- "The public service ambit of public broadcasters should be clearly defined and include an obligation to ensure that the public receive adequate, politically balanced information, particularly during election periods."
- "It is generally accepted that [the public media] should not be political partisan in their editorial coverage. This was the view set out by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, in his 1999 report, when he spoke of the obligation of the state-owned media to give voice to a variety of opinions and not to be a propaganda organ for one particular political party. Also, they have particular obligations to provide civic education, as well as to provide a platform for the different political parties."
- "State-owned/public media usually have a special responsibility for ensuring impartiality."
- "The state-owned and publicly funded media have a special responsibility to be balanced and impartial during an election campaign period. Because of their unique role in society, state-owned media should provide equitable access to candidates and parties as part of their responsibilities to the public."
- "...the State and its organs should therefore ensure: That the necessary steps are taken to guarantee non-partisan coverage in State and public-service media."
- "The very basis of democratic governance require that the electorate be able to make informed choices. This demands that all contesting points of view be fairly and equitably communicated on a non-discriminatory basis, particularly in the media financed from public funds. State sponsored broadcasters carry a special responsibility for providing balanced coverage of the election campaign."
- "In some countries, election legislation provides for the use of state resources by political contestants. This can include…access to government-owned media outlets. … Observers should assess: whether the criteria are objective and clearly defined; whether the criteria are reasonable and fair; whether the criteria are administered similarly for all contestants; and whether the resources are distributed in amounts and at times that do not unfairly disadvantage any contestants. It is the responsibility of governing parties not to abuse state resources… In a democracy, it is a generally accepted rules that government property belongs to all inhabitants of the country on an equal basis."
- "The public media, whether print or electronic, always have a responsibility to provide balanced and impartial information to the electorate. This is usually enshrined in law and/or in the charters of public broadcasters or print media. Even if this is not the case, balanced treatment by public media would be required by OSCE commitments (Copenhagen Document, Paragraph 7) stating that candidates should compete on the basis of equal treatment by the authorities and that public policy should work to ensure campaigning is conducted in a fair atmosphere."
- "The state media should meet its special responsibility for providing sufficient, balanced information to enable the electorate to make a well-informed choice."
- "State-owned media, or public media, have a special responsibility to provide balanced and neutral information on the election and the contestants. All contest points of view should be fairly and equitably communicated."
- "State-owned media must not be used as a communication or propaganda organ of one political party or as an advocate for the Government to the exclusion of all other parties and groups."
- "Equality of opportunity must be guaranteed for parties and candidates alike. This entails a neutral attitude by state authorities, in particular with regard to: ii. coverage by the media, in particular by the publicly owned media."
- "Member States should adopt measure whereby print media outlets which are owned by public authorities, when covering electoral campaigns, should do so in a fair, balanced and impartial manner, without discriminating against or supporting a specific political party or candidate."
- "Even though the human rights treaties do not expressly include the right of political candidates to disseminate their opinions through the media or the right of the public to have access to the opinions of political candidates, these rights are firmly anchored in the treaty-based rights to freedom of expression and non-discrimination. Whether the source of these rights-indisputably crucial to any genuine election-is the right to political participation per se or the rights to freedom of expression and non-discrimination is of no practical consequence. Since the right to political participation has for decades been considered controversial, most law on the matter has evolved under the rubric of freedom of expression."
- "The right of political parties and candidates to have access to government media receives powerful support form the strong prohibition of discrimination, including on grounds of political opinion, under international law. Paragraph 1 of Article 2 of the [ICCPR] declares that governments are obliged both to refrain from discrimination concerning matters that would affect the enjoyment of fundamental rights: 'Each state party to the present Covenant undertakes to respect and to ensure to all individuals within this territory and subject to its jurisdiction the rights recognized in the present Covenant, without distinction of any kind, such as race, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.' Other human rights treaties impose similar obligations. Thus, if a government-controlled media outlet provides air time to the ruling party, either by way of time for direct statements or by way of news coverage, then it is obliged to devote equitable amounts of time to competing political parties on a non-discriminatory basis (emphasis added)."
- "That no political parties or other groups taking part in the election have been subjected to unnecessary restriction in enjoying free and unbiased access to the press, radio and television to express their views to the public and that they have all enjoyed freedom to advertise and publish their views."
- "Ensure that [political parties] have fair and equal access to the media in practice as well as in theory and are able to make their candidates known."
- "All contesting parties and candidates should have equal access to the public media."
- "Campaign-related access to the media is usually determined in either the Election Law, media law or associated instructions issued by either an election commission or media institution's). Such access is usually predicated upon one or two criteria: equal access for all election contestants, or equitable access for all contestants, dependent upon the number of candidates competing or the size of a party's representation in the out-going Parliament."
- "Any legislation or regulation of the media should reinforce the principle of equal or equitable access for candidates and political parties. For example, when there is a system of paid for political advertising, all candidates should receive the same treatment and have access to advertising space under the same conditions as every other candidate. The concept of due impartiality does not mean that broadcasters cannot provide critical coverage of the candidates and parties, but they should seek to provide different views, present facts and clearly distinguish between news and editorial positions."
- "...[A]ccess to the media in modern society is self-evidently crucial to the dissemination of party platforms and programmes."
- "The principle of equal access to the media is widely accepted in established democracies. The formulae may vary, but the underlying premise is the same: those competing in an election should have a reasonable opportunity to get their message across."
- "A country's legal framework should contain the following guarantees: That the political parties and candidates are given the necessary legal guarantees to enable them to compete with each other on a basis of equitable treatment before the law and by the state authorities. That no legal or administrative obstacle stands in the way of access to the media on a non-discriminatory basis for all political groupings and individuals wishing to participate in the electoral process."
- "The legislative framework for elections should ensure that all political parties and candidates have access to the media and equitable treatment in media owned or controlled by the state, so that the general public can be informed of the political platforms, views and goals of all parties and candidates in a fair and unbiased manner."
- "Access to the media by parties and candidates may be regulated in a country's law covering the media or public information rather than in the election law. Media law may only provide general statements on access and delegate authority for promulgating the specifics of implementation to an administrative body such as a specialized media commission."
- "In addition, Paragraph 7 requires that political parties and candidates have unimpeded access to the media on a non-discriminatory basis."
- "OSCE commitments on democratic elections require that no legal or administrative obstacles stand in the way of unimpeded access to the media on a non-discriminatory basis for all political groups and individuals wishing to participate in the electoral process."
- "Political parties and candidates should be provided access to media and equal treatment in media owned or controlled by the state so that voters can be informed of political platforms, views, and goals in a fair and unbiased manner. This covers all forms of the media, including radio, television, newspapers, and evolving forms of media such as the Internet."
- "Regulation of equal treatment and access to media may be regulated in a country's law on media or public information. Additionally, the law may only provide general statements on equal treatment and access and may delegate authority for promulgating the specifics of implementation to an administrative body such a specialized media commission. … The law and its implementation should not give an undue advantage to any particular political party or candidate."
- "In summary, the commitments require states to: ensure unimpeded access to the media on a non-discriminatory basis."
- "Opposition parties should…be given equal opportunity and agreed upon time and space on the state-owned media to put their announcements and broadcasts and advertisements."