Guidelines on the use of Minority Languages in the Broadcast Media EXPLANATORY NOTE TO THE GUIDELINES ON THE USE OF MINORITY LANGUAGES IN THE BROADCAST MEDIA This explanatory note provides a brief overview of the principal international standards upon which the Guidelines are based. I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES 1) The right to freedom of expression is a cornerstone of international human rights protection. It comprises the right to receive and impart information and ideas by everyone without interference from public authority and regardless of frontiers. It is enshrined in Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 19 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and Article 10 of the 1950 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). For example, paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 19 of the ICCPR state: 2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice. 3. The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: (a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; (b) For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals. The U.N. Human Rights Committee, established to supervise implementation of the ICCPR, has clarified in its General Comment 10 (1983) that the right to freedom of expression enshrined in Article 19 includes not only the freedom to seek and receive information and ideas of all kinds, but also in whatever medium. With regard to the ECHR, the European Court of Human Rights in the 13