A world-renowned judge's verdict on whether a partial press gag imposed by the Premier was unlawful will be revealed at a public forum next month.

The Human Rights Commission is hosting the event on Wednesday, November 4, at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute from 6 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.

The HRC wrote to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, in May after Ewart Brown ordered Government communications officers to reduce contact with The Royal Gazette and Mid-Ocean News.

The commissioners also sought advice from an independent QC in the UK on whether the edict was an infringement of the right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by the Bermuda Constitution, the European Convention of Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

HRC chairwoman Venous Memari said responses had been received from the British lawyer and Ms Pillay, an expert on human rights and justice who has served on the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and would be disclosed at the public forum.

Dr. Brown instructed communications officers in the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Tourism and Transport to reduce contact with the two Bermuda Press Holdings-owned newspapers.

He said it was done to "prevent a total breakdown of communication between the Premier's office and these publications" — but his actions were criticised by international news organisations as discriminatory.

The gag no longer appears to be in place though Dr. Brown mentioned it this week on his Facebook page in reference to a profile of him which appeared in another Bermuda Press Holdings publication.

The Premier wrote on Thursday: "Read rg magazine and see why it was important to reduce contact with them."

Ms Memari said yesterday: "The purpose of the forum is to further the debate on this. The HRC will reiterate what we said.

"We recognise that there does seem to be a genuine grievance within the community that The Royal Gazette and Mid-Ocean are biased.

"The purpose of the forum is to further the debate about the tension that exists between the right to freedom of expression and journalistic responsibility — and what responsible journalism means."

The forum will feature guest panellists, including Bill Zuill, Jeffrey Elkinson and Wendell Hollis.

Mr. Zuill is editor of this newspaper, while Mr. Elkinson and Mr. Hollis are local lawyers, the latter being company secretary of Vista Mar Ltd., a company set up last year with the aim of launching a second daily newspaper on the Island.

Rick Richardson, former CEO of Bermuda Broadcasting Company, will moderate the debate.