RSF leads launch of ‘Circle 19’ for right to information in China
BAGUIO CITY — Press freedom watchdog Reporters without Borders (RSF) led the launch of “Circle 19” for the Right to Information in China early this week while holding its inaugural symposium in Paris.
Circle 19, refers to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that enshrines the right to freedom of opinion and expression, as well as the 1919 “May Fourth movement” which advocated for progressive political and social reforms, including freedom of information.
Circle 19 for the Right to Information in China (Circle 19) is an independent group composed of Chinese people and China specialists.
On Monday, Circle 19 also launched the drafting process of a statement of principles aimed at demonstrating that the universal principle of the right to information is deeply rooted in China’s traditions, history and political system, contrary to certain narratives conveyed by the Chinese regime, explained RSF secretary general Christophe Deloire.
The group’s long-term objective is to empower the Chinese public with intellectual resources related to this right to information in the People’s Republic of China, he added.
Mr. Deloire said the RSF believes that “in its frantic race for social control, the Beijing regime deprives the Chinese public of its legitimate right to information by invoking a so-called ‘relativity’ of cultures which denies the universality of human rights.”
The Circle 19 initiative should demonstrate through unassailable arguments that the right to information is a central element of Chinese culture and that its implementation has been, and remains to this day, a constant demand of the Chinese people.
“A strategy of naming and shaming is not enough,” Mr. Deloire said, while quoting press freedom defender and nobel peace prize winner Liu Xiaobo, who said: “Change in China will come from inside.”
He said that Circle 19 was formed in 2019 and now includes around 30 participants, whose details are not public and remain anonymous for security reasons. — Artemio A. Dumlao
