On 13 June, the Coordinating Committee of Press Freedom Organisations sent a letter to the Swedish Prime Minister urging him to raise the issue of the continued existence of criminal defamation and insult laws on the statute books in many EU member-states. Sweden currently holds the European Union’s (EU) rotating presidency.

The press freedom organisations that make up the Coordinating Committee expressed mutual concern in a joint letter that “these laws constitute a threat to the fundamental human right of freedom of expression,” and urged the Swedish Prime Minister to seriously consider this issue during the forthcoming meeting of the European Council in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 15-16 June. “The abolition of these laws by EU member states would send a strong signal to EU applicant countries that they should also abrogate such legal relics and that their existence contradicts internationally accepted standards on freedom of expression”, the letter said. “By repealing such laws, EU member-states would lead the way and provide the applicant countries with guidelines concerning standards on human rights – much as they have done on other issues.”

Meeting twice yearly, the Coordinating Committee is made up of the following press freedom organisations: Committee to Protect Journalists; Commonwealth Press Union; Inter American Press Association; International Association of Broadcasting; International Federation of the Periodical Press; International Press Institute; North American Broadcasters Association; World Association of Newspapers; and the World Press Freedom Committee. In addition, these organisations sponsor a Fund Against Censorship and exchange information on press freedom trends and threats.

Rotating every six months, the country holding the EU presidency is responsible for managing the business of the European Council and moving the issues on the EU agenda forward.

For more information contact:

Ömer Oguz
Liaison Officer
International Press Institute (IPI)
Spiegelgasse 2
A-1010 Vienna, Austria
Tel: + 43 1 512 90 11
Fax: + 43 1 512 90 14
E-mail: [email protected]

Ronald Koven
European Representative
World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC)
133, Ave. de Suffren
75007 Paris, France
Tel: + 331 47 83 31 88
Fax: + 331 45 66 83 02
E-mail: [email protected]