Letter to Minister Philippe Goffin, ardent defender of press freedom

On May 3, on the occasion of International Press Freedom Day, Foreign Minister Philippe Goffin made a strong plea for press freedom. Far from the recent attempts of a party colleague (MR), Didier Reynders, who a few months ago put forward a bill punishing whistleblowers with several months of imprisonment and thousands of euros in fines(1)Philippe Goffin has taken a clear stand for freedom of the press, against the muzzling of the  » journalists who hold politicians accountable « .(2). It is a terrible opportunity for us to ask him to support Kairos, at a time when  » accountability  » is synonymous with  » conspiracy « (3).

Mr. Goffin,

We were pleased to learn of your advocacy for press freedom four days ago on International Press Freedom Day. 

You rightly said in an article in Le Vif that,  » As the world faces one of the most serious health crises in decades, people are looking for reliable information. By providing accurate facts, journalists help individuals and governments make informed decisions in the fight against Covid-19. An independent and critical view helps prevent the spread of misinformation « . I did just that on April 15 at Sophie Wilmès’ press conference, when, as a journalist, I asked about the collusion between politicians and expert groups and the private sector. My questioning has provoked numerous reactions from citizens who also question this reality, which we believe is anti-democratic. Since then, many facts have proven that the Wilmes government was trying to muzzle us. We compile these as evidence in legal proceedings. 

In your statements for the freedom of the press, you added that  » It isnot without reason that the press is called the guardian of democracy: journalists investigate the real facts, give a voice to those who are often not heard and hold politicians accountable. We have asked for these accounts, but some people don’t seem to be willing to listen to us. 

Therefore, in view of your statements in favor of press freedom, we ask you to support us in what is clearly an obstacle to it. 

We are of course willing to provide you with any additional elements to support our statements, some of which have already been described in articles and videos on our website www.kairospresse.be.

Thanking you in advance for your attention to this letter. 

Best regards,

Alexandre Penasse

Editor in chief of Kairos. 

P.S.: In the interest of full transparency, we will make this letter public. 

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Notes et références
  1. Voir, parmi tous les article que Kairos a consacrés à Didier Reynders, https://www.kairospresse.be/article/pourquoi-didier-reynders-et-les-autres-demeurent-ils-impunis.
  2. https://www.levif.be/actualite/belgique/philippe-goffin-souligne-l-importance-d-une-presse-libre-et-independante/article-news-1284345.html?fbclid=IwAR3iNgCW_KmI5N7KN7agFqE0xVDBq-6U4ge8l5oMbjSH438ybBmzliOFbSI
  3. Article/vidéo à venir:Les Chiens attaquent. Épisode 3 : L’oligarchie c’est la démocratie, la vérité c’est le complot

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