Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech Freedom to speak freely without censorship is what we call freedom of speech. Restrictions on the freedom to speak are sometimes called censorship. In practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations and restrictions. Our constitution does not define what it means by these rights. Perhaps one could rely on the definitions formulated in other jurisdictions. In addition, national laws of many countries, in various forms, recognize a basic freedom of speech. The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) recognizes the right to freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression."
European Convention on Human Rights (which was drawn up in 1951) for example has this to say:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers”.
This right has been given prominence by the European Court of Human Right when it ruled that, “Freedom of expression constitutes one of the essential foundations of a society, one of the basic conditions for its progress and for the development of every man…… it is applicable not only to ‘information’ or ‘ideas’ that are favorably received, but also to those that offend, shock or disturb the state or any sector of the population. Such are the demands of that pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness without which there is no democratic society”.
No one doubt that freedom of expression stands as one of the foundations of a democratic society. To a certain
European Convention on Human Rights (which was drawn up in 1951) for example has this to say:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers”.
This right has been given prominence by the European Court of Human Right when it ruled that, “Freedom of expression constitutes one of the essential foundations of a society, one of the basic conditions for its progress and for the development of every man…… it is applicable not only to ‘information’ or ‘ideas’ that are favorably received, but also to those that offend, shock or disturb the state or any sector of the population. Such are the demands of that pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness without which there is no democratic society”.
No one doubt that freedom of expression stands as one of the foundations of a democratic society. To a certain