Presentation of the Observatory in Mexico

Presentation of the Legislative Observatory on Freedom of Expression in Mexico by Juan Carlos Arjona Estévez Last March, the Legislative Observatory on Freedom of Expression was presented in Mexico; it is coordinated by

Juan Carlos Arjona Estévez Last March, the Legislative Observatory on Freedom of Expression was launched in Mexico; it is coordinated by the Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information at the University of Palermo’s School of Law. On March 26, 27, and 29, the Observatory’s coordinator, Franco Serra, presented the project to a diverse group of students, along with the initial regional findings, which were supplemented by the results of the research conducted specifically on Mexico. Each presentation had its own distinct features, so I will highlight the key points from each below. The first took place at the Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico before students majoring in Political Science and Communication. The audience listened attentively to what was, for them, their first introduction to the debate on the regulation of freedom of expression on the internet, the scope of the debates, and the remaining challenges in this area, as well as the risks of more broadly restricting freedom of expression online, vis-à-vis freedom of expression offline—that is, in any other context in which this right is exercised. The second presentation took place at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City before an audience consisting primarily of law students. With the students, the discussion focused on the impacts of freedom of expression on social media and the effects this can have on both private individuals and public officials; in light of this, comparisons were drawn between what is permitted and prohibited in offline discourse, and why this should not change in online discourse. The final presentation at an academic institution was given to students in the Graduate Program in Human Rights at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Puebla; the discussion with them centered on the effects of social media use in relation to public officials. In all three presentations, a particularly novel topic was the discussion of the impacts of internet regulation on the exercise of freedom of expression, as well as the diversity of legislative proposals that have been compiled. In addition to these three presentations, on March 28, the Observatory presented to the Chairperson (a Senator) and the Secretary (a Senator) of the Senate’s Human Rights Commission, along with the civil society organizations Artículo 19 and R3D and journalists displaced in Mexico City. Following the presentation, it was noted, on the one hand, that if freedom of expression were to be restricted, such limitations must comply with the requirements of the three-part test outlined by the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and particular emphasis was placed on the risks posed by a recent proposal for federal-level regulation in Mexico, which falls far short of meeting these standards and fails to address the very purpose for which it is being created. On the other hand, displaced journalists also highlighted the impacts and risks they have personally faced as a result of their journalistic work, as well as the threats and attacks they have received on these same social media platforms from “anonymous” accounts. The Observatory’s various presentations in Mexico demonstrated the importance of opening spaces for dialogue on the topic, as well as clarifying the scope of freedom of expression both online and offline, and the specificities of its regulation in both spheres. Likewise, it became apparent that younger audiences were unaware of the impacts of regulation on their daily lives as regular social media users.

_ He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master’s in Human Rights from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He teaches in various graduate programs on human rights in Mexico. He is a researcher with the Legislative Observatory on Freedom of Expression. He currently serves as Fourth General Inspector at the Federal District Human Rights Commission. The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent the institution where he works._