Human rights, the rule of law and democracy are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. Within the framework of international human rights law, the right to freedom of expression particularly stands out, as it constitutes a pre-requisite for the fulfilment of other fundamental rights. In this regard, as ‘guardian of the rule of law’, the judiciary plays a particularly important role in guaranteeing the respect for the fundamental right to freedom of expression and its corollaries, access to information and the safety of journalists. To do so, however, judicial actors need to be well versed on freedom of expression challenges (both online and offline), and knowledgeable about the related international standards and regional jurisprudence. To share best practices and lessons learnt in this regard, this essay will be structured in two parts: first, it will discuss the crucial role of an independent judiciary in protecting the rights to freedom of expression and access to information, while falling under the obligation to act in full transparency itself. Second, it will present an in-depth analysis of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Judges’ Initiative, presenting the concrete experience of a United Nations’ body engaging with its constituents. At the heart of this endeavor is the goal of enhancing the international human rights legal framework, by raising, in full cooperation with them, the knowledge and capacities of judicial actors from around the world on the need to protect and promote freedom of expression, access to information, and the safety of journalists to guarantee the respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
Jamie Uys's 1980 film The Gods must be Crazy was an instant blockbuster as it opened up in theatres world-wide. However, critics were quick to note that its humorous tone subtly propagated the central tenet of apartheid, namely separate development. This paper analyses its specific reception in France and replaces it within the context of growing antiapartheid solidarity and rhetoric. Although journals such as Politique Africaine were quick to denounce its racist undertones and implicit support of apartheid policies, condemnation remained limited to militant circles, which in turn questions the ways in which French society perceived the situation in South Africa. Drawing on the works of Keyan Tomaselli and Brendon Nicholls, this paper offers a critical analysis of the movie in the context of apartheid ideologies and growing anti-apartheid rhetoric by: (1) looking at the state of the mobilization and the specific context of cultural anti-apartheid manifestations in France prior to the opening of the movie on French screens in 1981, before (2) analysing how its positive reception inserted itself within a broader framework of European colonial discourse and thus effectively served as a tool of apartheid propaganda.
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