According to NX editors, the Ratings Commission criteria for censorship have never been made public. The secrecy of the criteria leaves publishers in a perpetual condition of uncertainty, and allows wide scope for arbitrary or dicriminatory treatment. Procedures for appeal or for submitting complaints are also not clearly defined. The editors regard this situation as an attack upon their freedom of expression. Moreover, the Comission's regulations caused the editors significant economic damage due to the temporary removal of the magazine from circulation.
Freedom of expression is an essential right protected in numerous international covenants.
The interventions of the Ratings Commission in Buenos Aires are neither. Rather, they target manifestations of a particular identity for discriminatory and profoundly undemocratic treatment. The fact that the interventions are unsystematic and inconsistent exacerbates rather than excuses their abusiveness. That the Ratings Commission cease targeting gay or lesbian publications, or expressions of other minority identities, and respect the freedom of expression of these populations. All rights reserved.