Responding to the appointment of Pedro Vaca as Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression for the Organisation of American States, Quinn McKew said:
“On behalf of ARTICLE 19, I would like to congratulate Mr Vaca on his successful appointment. We are committed to working collaboratively and constructively with him to ensure free speech and access to information around the world are brought into greater focus. These are essential cornerstones of democracy and pillars of our human rights.
“Mr Vaca will have a challenging set of circumstances in an already shrinking civic space. As the number of violations rises – with restrictions and threats against journalists and human rights defenders at its worst point in over a decade – we will support Mr Vaca’s role in holding those in power to account.”