16 March 2005
CONGRESS URGED TO SCRAP "INSULT" LAWS
In Chile, where criticising government and military officials can land a person in jail, efforts are underway to reform the country's free speech laws. A government bill proposing to decriminalise the country's so-called "insult" or "desacato" laws is making its way through the Senate, but Human Rights Watch and the World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) warn that the final version may be too weak to protect the right of citizens and journalists to freely express their views.
In the two-and-a-half years since it was first introduced in Congress, Presidential Bill 212-347 has been significantly weakened, the IFEX members say.
While Congress agreed to eliminate the offence of insulting government officials and judges from the Criminal Code, it has rejected proposals to abolish the crime of offending or insulting the military (Article 284 of the Code of Military Justice).
It has also refused to eliminate a provision under which civilians can be prosecuted by military courts for "seditious speech that stirs up disorder in the military or police" (Article 276).
Human Rights Watch and WPFC have written to the Senate urging its members to restore the original proposals in the government bill.
See:
- Human Rights Watch's Letter: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/03/09/chile10285.htm
- WPFC's Letter: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/63987/
- What's Wrong With Insult Laws: http://www.wpfc.org/index.jsp?page=Campaign+Against+Insult+Laws
- Primer on Defamation Laws:
http://tinyurl.com/5994y
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