ROG welcomes ECtHR decision
The Swiss section of Reporters Without Borders (ROG) welcomes the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which ruled that the use of a hidden camera by "Kassensturz" in 2003 was lawful.
The ECtHR thus contradicted the decisions of the Federal Supreme Court and the Zurich High Court (Werbewoche.ch reported). The four "Kassensturz" journalists had used the hidden camera to document the questionable business practices of an insurance consultant. The consultant's face and voice were made unrecognizable in the film.
For ROG, this is an important victory for freedom of information, as the Swiss section writes in a statement on Wednesday. The ECHR has recognized that the public interest was the decisive factor in the SRF journalists' decision to take this action. ROG points out that hidden image and sound recordings by SRG editorial offices are subject to strict regulations and are always subject to a careful balancing of interests. According to ROG, the European Convention on Human Rights is an important bulwark in the defense of human rights, especially freedom of information - even if one political party, the SVP, is planning a popular initiative to establish the primacy of Swiss law over international law.
