CoE new Human Rights Commissioner Muiznieks (2012-2018) to EuroFora on Internet Journalism Freedom+

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- The necessary Fight for Human Rights at the Internet, particularly in order to protect Journalists' only free space in case of oppression, but also for other Democratic Freedoms and Rights (such as, f.ex., for Association, Demonstration, Private Life, Personal Data, Access to Information, etc) needs a Prospective view on still on-going and Future developments, in an area of crucial importance, specially for Young Generations, who don't practically use Traditional Media, but mostly New, Web Media, replied in substance to "EuroFora"s questions, CoE's new Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, former Minister, who has just started his 6 Years new Mandate (2012-2018) after his recent Election among 3 candidates by CoE's Parliamentary Assembly on January 2012,  (See also other NewsReports on 2 more Differend issues on which "EuroFora" also raised  Questions to Muiznieks),

- "EuroFora"  observed that, "concerning New Questions on Human Rights raised by the Internet, particularly as far as it concerns Freedom of Expression, while on 1995, f.ex.",  (when ECHR started to publish for the 1st time in History more than  500 Judgements per Year), "practically Nobody spoke about the Internet in Europe", (despite the fact that "EuroFora"s co-Founder had already Published, in 1995, a 1st set of EU/CoE News from Strasbourg at a Pioneer Website, Testbed of a "Europe in the World" project, later presented to EU Commission, in a Collective bid, officially accepted for examination in the framework of an EU Program on Funding Innovative Social uses of Modern Information and Communication Technologies : ESPRIT, on 1997), "on the contrary, now it evolves so Fast, that adopting a Prospective view pointing also at the Future, has become necessary".

- But, "to over-Simplify things, ....don't you think that this Challenge could also offer an opportunity, or even makes it necessary, to focus on Fundamental issues of Freedom of Expression, i.e. on the famous article 10 of the ECHR , instead of Bureaucratic or Formal aspects, as well as on the Deontology of Journalism, on which various Texts already exist, both on Europe and in the USA etc., both in the Past and during recent years, their main points being more or less similar in substance ?", "EuroFora" asked briefly CoE's new Commissioner on Human Rights.
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Muiznieks, who has recently expressed the view that "Media Self-Regulation", through "a Code of Ethics", "would Protect individuals or groups .. from unacceptable Abuse" and "prevent State Regulation", approaching a principle dear to "EuroFora" on even identifying Journalism as an ECHR's Article 10 activity (i.e. seeking, generating and publishing original News on issues which affect the People and matter for Society), produced according to Press Deontology methods (Comp. : http://www.eurofora.net/brief/brief/webmedia.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/digitalpress.html), spoke to "EuroFora" during a meeting with Journalists organized by Strasbourg's Press Club.

 - "I absolutely agree that we must stress Freedom of Expression in the domain of New Media (at the Internet), that's logical",  CoE's new Commissioner for Human Rights positively replied to "EuroFora"s Question.

- "But what we observe today, is that Freedom of Expression in the Social Networks, (f.ex. Internet Forums, Facebook, Twitter, etc), is very very much really Linked also to Other Freedoms : F.ex. Freedom of Association, of Demonstration, etc., as well as to Participation in Politics, compared to other (Traditional) Media", he noted from the outset.- F.ex., "we see that in Teheran, in Moldova, in Russia, etc", he found. 

+  "I think that in Countries" (and/or during periods of Time) "where there are big Problems on Freedom of Expression", (as, f.ex. notoriously in the case also of Turkey, according to Facts revealed in both EU Commission's and EU Parliament's Reports, as well as in CoE's ECHR Statistics), "that's the only Area which remains still Free for Journalists", he rightfully pointed out.

A well known situation, particularly when the Control of Traditional Media is taken over and Monopolized by a few Ruthless  Lackeys of Oppressive and/or Corrupted Regimes, ("Chiens de garde", according to the famous Book of Historic French Writer Nisand)..

+ Moreover, today, "I have 2 Children : Aged 13 and 15 Years. They don't watch TV, they don't read Newspapers, they don't listen to Radios, but they are both, all the Time, at the (Internet's) Social Networks !", the new PanEuropean Commissioner on Human Rights acknowledged.

=> "In consequence, we have to work with that Young Generation of People, because if we, as Defensors of Human Rights, we are not present there, then, it would practically mean that we'd abandon all that space to the Ennemies of Human Rights !" Muiznieks warned.

- "Thus, we must be there. We must use these New Technologies in order to promote Education and Training on Human Rights, Democratic Values, as well as in order to Fight against Ennemies of Human Rights", he strongly urged.

+ "But also in order to defend even Other Human Rights, not only Freedom of Speech", he reminded, (Comp. Supra).

>>> "So, I believe that here is a Huge Area for work there, and it's of an Essential Importance for us to Be (present and active) there", i.e. at Internet's New Media and Social Networks, (such as Discussion  Forums, Facebook, Twitter, etc),.

+ "We must also try to understand how all this is going to be developed in the Future, and take care for our Standards and Methods of Work to be adequately adapted", instead of staying too far away from such new developments in the New Media at  the Internet, concluded in reply to "EuroFora"s question CoE's new Human Rights' Commissioner for 2012-2018.

- Because "nobody knows, today, what the situation will be 6 Years later", observed earlier Muiznieks, who had declared from the outset his intention to "make of Journalists' protection a Prority", during his "6 Years Mandate" (2012-2018), "particularly in the Social Networks and the New Media" recently developed "by the New Technologies" via the Internet, where the "protection  of Private Life" and personal data, etc., are also among a series of new issues of growing importance, as he observed.                           

Speaking later to "EuroFora", Muiznieks noted, smiling, also the current rise of "Pirates" political parties' revendications at the Internet, throughout Europe, from Sweden to Germany and other EU Countries, as well as in EU Parliament, which also raise various other concrete issues, (Comp.  f.ex.,  "Pirate Bay" website's controversial claims, including vis a vis Human Rights).

On all these prospective matters, a possible EU - CoE cooperation, according to Muiznieks' overall strategy, could be f.ex. for EU's brand new Wienna Agency on Rights, to make a Prospective Study on Internet's New Media's trends and Human Rights/Democratic Freedoms' issues which already are and/or might be raised in the foreseeable Future, while most of the systematic and comprehensive Monitoring work on the spot (including, f.ex. by Visits, etc) would be carried out by the office of CoE's Human Rights' Commissioner, (See other relevant "EuroFora"'s NewsReports, herewith).