Dr Gerd Müller: 'Bring these fundamental rights to life'
November 30, 2018
Dr Gerd Müller, the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development:
"Only one person in seven is fortunate enough to live in a county where the human right to freedom of expression is fully guaranteed. This can have fatal consequences. Election results can be massively influenced if the public is manipulated deliberately via fake news. A free media is therefore of the utmost importance for good governance and an active civil society as they ensure transparency and political participation.
Most of our partner countries are also committed to respecting freedom of expression and access to information. We support them in standing up for these fundamental rights and bringing them to life. Anyone who has a voice should be able to raise it no matter which country he or she was born in."
Müller's contribution is part of Deutsche Welle's #Article19ForAll project. The goal is to collect voices and opinions to mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and more specifically Article 19 which defined free expression and access to information as basic human rights.