Everyone has the right to freedom of expression

Last month, Sweden celebrated 250 years of freedom of the press.

Freedom of expression has served Sweden well, and the best way of celebrating our history is to promote freedom of speech all around the world as a cornerstone of our foreign policy.

Freedom to express one’s opinion should never be a luxury for people in some countries; it is the right of every human being.

Jordan has been a regional leader when it comes to media freedom. With that history, Jordan could do more to truly respect freedom of speech. 

Sweden will continue our support for freedom of expression in Jordan and in the region.

On December 2, 1766, the Swedish parliament adopted the world’s first Freedom of the Press Act.

This meant that censorship of printed publications was abolished and the right of the public to have access to public documents and take part in political debates was secured.

This act was crucial for the coming democratic development in Sweden.

Freedom of speech is not only a prerequisite for democracy but also the guarantor for societal development.

The free flow of ideas and opinions, as well as debate and critical examination, creates a wealth of ideas and drives innovation.

Thanks to the principle of public access to official documents, citizens have the right of access to information held by the public authorities.

This way, private individuals and journalists can scrutinise power structures and elected politicians.

For us, this principle has contributed to a low level of corruption and a high level of confidence in our democratic institutions.

But at the same time as we are celebrating our freedom of the press, we are unfortunately seeing how freedom of speech is coming increasingly under threat around the world.

In many places, the democratic space is shrinking. 

Repressive legislation is targeting journalists and human rights defenders.

In 2016 alone, 48 journalists were killed and 259 were imprisoned, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Many of these journalists were from the Middle East and North Africa region, which also includes some of the world’s most censored countries and where independent media outlets are regularly closed down.

In short, freedom of expression is on the decline in the Middle East.

Historically, Jordan has been at the forefront when it comes to media freedom.

The Constitution includes guarantees for freedom of expression and of the media.

The country was also the first in the Middle East to adopt a law on the right to access information. 

It is positive that Jordan’s national plan for human rights for 2016-2025 focuses on freedom of opinion and expression as areas for further action.

According to the national plan, journalists and media workers should obtain sufficient protection while performing their work, and violations of the freedom of opinion should be monitored.

However, despite Jordan’s efforts in this field, there are worrying trends.

Several journalists were arrested in Jordan in the last year only. Moreover, hundreds of websites were blocked in the last few years.

Self-censorship hinders journalists from practising their profession fully.

Jordan is currently ranked 135th out of 180 countries on Reporters without Borders’ index of press freedom in the world.

My firm belief is that Jordan can do better.

Jordan is situated in a troubled part of the world, and issues related to security — of course — need great attention. However, security should not be a legitimate reason to limit fundamental rights. 

Quite the opposite: respecting human rights contributes to long-term stability and peace.

One of the main pillars of Sweden’s policy towards the region is to support and advance human rights.

A core priority of this is the development of independent quality media. 

We strongly believe that access to public information, investigative journalism and channels for freedom of expression and debate are essential to democratic development.

Around the Arab world, we try to support journalists, editors and media scholars.

Many of these media professionals have fought hard to defend the free word and keep the public informed about injustices in their respective countries.

These brave people are crucial for a democratic development and the first line of defence against authoritarianism and repression.

The 250th anniversary of the Freedom of the Press Act in Sweden reminds us of the long road we have travelled to promote freedom of expression.

Free speech is a principle that must never be taken for granted. It must always be defended.

Sweden will use the anniversary as a starting point of renewed engagement.

We will continue our support for freedom of expression in Jordan and the Middle East.

Jordan has, with its history, a ground for taking the necessary steps to fully respect freedom of expression.

The Middle East desperately needs that kind of leadership.

The writer is ambassador of Sweden to Jordan. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.