Media - Freedom of expression and information



Forum on Anti-terrorism legislation and its impact on freedom of expression and information

Organised by the Council of Europe, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Institute for Information Law of the University of Amsterdam and hosted by the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture

Programme

27 May 2009, Reykjavic, Iceland

Chairperson: David Thor Björgvinsson, judge, the European Court of Human Rights

10:00 Opening

      Sigtryggur Magnason, Political Advisor to the Minister of Education, Science and Culture of Iceland

      Marjan Hammersma, Head of the Department for Media, Libraries and Literature, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands

      Franziska Klopfer, Media and Information Society Division, Council of Europe

10:20 Presentation: Short introduction of the results of the Amsterdam conference – Peter Noorlander, Legal Director, Media Legal Defence Initiative

10:40 Presentation: Council of Europe standards on freedom of expression and information in the context of the fight against terrorsim – Andrew McIntosh, Chairman of the Sub-Committee on the Media, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

11:00 Coffee break

11:30 Panel discussion 1: Latest developments and trends in legislation, their implementation and impact on freedom of expression and information

Moderator: David Thor Björgvinsson, judge, the European Court of Human Rights

Panellists: Aidan White, Director General, International Federation of Journalists

      Róisín Pillay, Senior Legal Adviser, Europe Programme,International Commission of Jurists

      Stig Finslo, Vice President, Edda Media AS, Oslo, European Newspaper Publishers’ Association

13:00 Lunch

14:30 Working groups: Rendering standards effective: good practices and lessons learned

    Working group 1: Assessing the impact on the work of media professionals

      Introduction:
      Jon Silverman, broadcaster/author, professor of media and criminal justice, University of Bedfordshire

      Dirk Voorhoof, Lawyer, Ghent University

    Moderator: Hans Verploeg, journalist

    Working group 2: Improving legislation and policy to protect freedom of expression and information better

    Introduction:
    Yaman Akdeniz, Director, Cyberlaws and Cyber-liberties

      Pedro Julio Tenorio Sanchez, Professor of Constitutional Law

    Moderator: Helen Darbishire, Executive Director, Access Info

15:30 Coffee break

16:00 Panel discussion 2: Presentation of the results of the working groups followed by a discussion on how standards on freedom of expression and information and freedom of the media can be better protected and promoted in the context of anti-terror legislation and its implementation

Moderator: William Horsley, Association of European Journalists

Panellists: Hans Verploeg, journalist, the Netherlands

    Helen Darbishire, Executive Director, Access Info

      Bill Bowring, Barrister, Professor of Law, School of Law, Birkbeck College, University of London

17:00 Summary of findings by the keynote speaker – Peter Noorlander, Legal Director, Media Legal Defence Initiative

17:30 Conclusions by the chairperson

    End of forum