Monika Grütters: 'We need a diversity of independent voices'

Germany's Federal Minister for Culture and Media, Monika Grütters:

"The right to freedom of speech enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an indicator of democracy. As long as freedom of expression is granted, democracies can defend themselves against authoritarian and totalitarian tendencies and are equipped for the fight for human rights.

That is why we must not stand by and watch silently as journalists, artists and opposition figures are arrested around the world and while restrictions on freedom of the press and the arts ring the death knell for democracy and human rights.

And that's why we need a diversity of independent voices and critical media sources as well as courageous journalists who expose wrongdoings and denounce human rights abuses. Otherwise, as we have experienced over the past decades, the full impact of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would not be unleashed."

Grütter'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 freedom of expression and access to information as basic human rights.