The United Nations has declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On this day, the United Nations pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty, release a report regarding the state of press freedom throughout the world and defend the media from attacks on their independence. The focus this year is on three inter-related themes: the media’s importance in development; the safety of journalists and the rule of law; and the sustainability and integrity of journalism.

On this occasion, Dr. Mufleh bin Rabiean Qahtani, the Chairman of the National Society for Human Rights, has said that freedom of expression as a human right does not mean the “absolute” freedom without restrictions since each state has its own religious and cultural authority which affect and form its laws and procedures. In this regard , Article (39) of the Kingdom’s  Basic Law of Governance  has stated the following: “Mass media and all other vehicles of expression shall employ civil and polite language, contribute towards the education of the nation and strengthen unity. It is prohibited to commit acts leading to disorder and division, affecting the security of the state and its public relations, or undermining human dignity and rights. Details shall be specified in the Law”. For more illustration, the press freedom of expression is guaranteed through the polite language and constructive criticism in order to ensure the security of the national construction. Besides, the press should practice its mission freely and independently so as  to serve the homeland and the citizen and thus contribute to identify the public opinion’s trends which can be redirected within the public parameters in this blessed country which derived its constitution from the Quran and the Sunnah. These public parameters represent also the basic components of the society which protect the public freedoms, rights, duties, and the respect of the sanctity of the private lives of citizens .

Moreover, Dr. Al-Qahtani has asserted that the right to express and to seek information are one of the most crucial basic human rights that contribute to the enjoyment of the other rights and without it, the rest of the rights are subjected to derogation. In Article (8) of the Kingdom’s Law of printed materials and publication, it was stated that “Freedom of expression is guaranteed through all means of publication within the provisions of Shari’ah and law” which will allow expressing the opinion transparently and will measure the degree of a large segment of citizens’ satisfaction towards the various services of the state’s agencies.

Furthermore, there is no doubt that the media plays a major role in spreading the human rights culture and helping the citizen and resident to know their rights and duties. Finally, we hope that the freedom of expression will be enhanced in our country under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, may God protect them.