Free Speech Debate

Thirteen languages. Ten principles. One conversation.

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1We – all human beings – must be free and able to express ourselves, and to receive and impart information and ideas, regardless of frontiers.»
2We defend the internet and all other forms of communication against illegitimate encroachments by both public and private powers.»
3We require and create open, diverse media so we can make well-informed decisions and participate fully in political life.»
4We speak openly and with civility about all kinds of human difference.»
5We allow no taboos in the discussion and dissemination of knowledge.»
6We neither make threats of violence nor accept violent intimidation.»
7We respect the believer but not necessarily the content of the belief.»
8We are all entitled to a private life but should accept such scrutiny as is in the public interest.»
9We should be able to counter slurs on our reputations without stifling legitimate debate.»
10We must be free to challenge all limits to free expression justified on such grounds as national security, public order and morality.»

What’s missing?

Is there a vital area we have not addressed? A principle 11? An illuminating case study? Read other people's suggestions and add your own here.

1

We – all human beings – must be free and able to express ourselves, and to receive and impart information and ideas, regardless of frontiers.

Timothy Garton Ash
A personal introduction

This principle is first not just in order but in importance. It is the basic principle. The other nine principles say more about what this one means, how it can be realised and where the limits to free expression should lie. (more...)

Do you agree with this principle? Yes No

Discussions

  • 20120405_181729

    Hasan Cemal: Freedom of expression in Turkey

    From communism to Kurdish separatism, the Turkish state has used a series of pretexts to deny freedom of expression to its citizens, says journalist Hasan Cemal.

    April 16, 2012 | Comments: 0
  • Voina

    On free speech: The fine art of activism

    The third episode of the On Free Speech podcast features exclusive interviews with filmmaker Nick Sturdee on the Russian art collective Voina and stand-up comedian Tom Greeves on the UK's parody laws.

    April 10, 2012 | Comments: 0
  • Demonstrations Continue In Cairo After The First Anniversary Of The Revolution

    Free speech at the heart of the Arab Spring – part two

    In the second part of this panel discussion just off Tahrir Square in Cairo, a panel of bloggers, journalists and human rights experts ask what are - and what should be - the limits to freedom of expression in Egypt today.

    March 21, 2012 | Comments: 3
  • Cairo Tense For Anniversary Of Mubarak Resignation

    Free speech at the heart of the Arab Spring – part one

    In this panel discussion just off Tahrir Square in Cairo, a panel of bloggers, journalists and human rights experts ask what are - and what should be - the limits to freedom of expression in Egypt today.

    March 21, 2012 | Comments: 0
  • Pod

    On Free Speech: China, India & the art of “Zuckering”

    The second episode of FSD's monthly podcast looks at free speech in India, internet censorship in China and Facebook's attitude towards privacy.

    March 8, 2012 | Comments: 2

More discussions

Case studies

  • Activists Protest Internet Copyright Restrictions ACTA

    ACTA: Open agreement secretly arrived at?

    The secretive approach adopted by parties in negotiating the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement constrained the ability of the public to challenge limits on free expression, writes Graham Reynolds.

    April 25, 2012 | Comments: 0
  • Anna Hazare during his fast (Photo by Ramesh Lalwani under a Creative Commons Attribution-only licence)

    Hunger strike as free expression

    Last year, Anna Hazare, a 74-year-old Indian anti-graft campaigner, undertook a "fast-unto-death" as a way of pressuring the government to enact anti-corruption legislation. Should a hunger strike be protected as a form of free expression? Manav Bhushan and Katie Engelhart offer contrasting views.

    March 13, 2012 | Comments: 1
  • A six-year-old Kurdish boy, watches a lesson given in Turkish (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

    Kurdish in Turkey, Turkish in Bulgaria

    Kerem Öktem compares how the governments of Bulgaria and Turkey treat the language rights of their most important minorities.

    February 17, 2012 | Comments: 2
  • "We the Corporations v We the People" rally in Capitol Hill (Photo By Bill Clark/Roll Call)

    Does money have the right to speak?

    The US supreme court's decision on Citizens United raises a vital issue: should corporations have the same free speech rights as individuals? Brian Pellot discusses the case.

    February 10, 2012 | Comments: 6
  • 4444569867_f63b77a9cb_z

    When doing nothing is free expression

    In 2011, the Belarusian police arrested scores of people at a silent protest in Minsk. Annabelle Chapman looks at the case.

    February 10, 2012 | Comments: 0

More case studies


Free Speech Debate is a research project of the Dahrendorf Programme for the Study of Freedom at St Antony's College in the University of Oxford. www.freespeechdebate.ox.ac.uk