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 seek, 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 freedom of expression and information justified on such grounds as national security, public order, morality and the protection of intellectual property.»

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. Or start the debate in your own language.

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Po Polsku! Our 10 draft principles translated into Polish by Maciej Stasiński of Gazeta Wyborcza

Published on: May 15, 2013 | Principle 11 | Comments: 0

santorini-86840_640

Our draft principles in Greek

Marianthi Palazi translated our 10 draft principles on free speech into Greek.

Published on: March 19, 2013 | Principle 1 | Comments: 0

General view of the European Court of Human Rights hearing room in Strasbourg

Does the Strasbourg court allow too much for local taboos?

En 2005, l’arrêt I.A. contre Turque constituait un précédent controversé concernant l’interprétation restrictive de l’article 10 de la Convention européenne des droits de l’homme au nom de la religion explique Michèle Finck

Published on: March 8, 2013 | Principle 7 | Comments: 0

Tower of Babel

The sound of Free Speech Debate

Members of our multilingual team produce a Mexican wave of sound, reciting two principles in their native tongues.

Published on: August 29, 2012 | Principle 1 | Comments: 0

estonia

10 aluspõhimõtte visand

10 aluspõhimõtte visand, tõlkinud Martin Ehala. Our 10 draft principles translated into Estonian.

Published on: July 27, 2012 | Principle 11 | Comments: 0

Hale

Online language bubbles: the last frontier?

Scott A Hale explores the effect of language in seeking and imparting information on the broader web.

Published on: July 25, 2012 | Principle 1 | Comments: 0

Three Blind Brothers Survive on Aid in Gaza

The importance of Braille literacy

In 2010, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind almost closed its library because of funding issues. Yet some argue that those who can't read Braille are akin to illiterates, writes Katie Engelhart.

Published on: July 6, 2012 | Principle 1 | Comments: 0

'Stretch friends': breaking cultural barriers thumbnail

‘Stretch friends’: breaking barriers

Published on: July 4, 2012 | Principle 2 | Comments: 0

13th Annual Webby Awards - Inside

Tim Berners-Lee on ‘stretch friends’ & open data

"Stretch friends" - individuals who are outside of your social circle online - will help break down cultural barriers.

Published on: June 22, 2012 | Principle 2 | Comments: 0

Ory Okolloh

The knowledge commons: research and innovation in an unequal world

To mark the launch of the St Antony's International Review, a panel of experts discuss Ushahidi technology, academic journals in Latin America and the geographies of the world's knowledge.

Published on: June 7, 2012 | Principle 5 | Comments: 0

Slovakia's Roma Community Looking For Emigration Opportunities

The harms of hate speech legislation

Hate speech legislation chills freedom of expression more than it protects vulnerable minorities. Free speech lawyer Ivan Hare takes issue with Jeremy Waldron.

Published on: March 23, 2012 | Principle 4 | Comments: 0

A member of the Westboro Baptist Church demonstrates outside the supreme court in Washington DC(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The harm of hate speech

Jeremy Waldron, professor of social and political theory at Oxford University, argues the case for legislation against hate speech

Published on: March 20, 2012 | Principle 4 | Comments: 11

Arab Students Rally At UC Irvine

Unpacking hate speech

A trio of human rights experts elaborate on the definition of dangerous speech and consider how hate speech is protected both in Europe and under the first amendment in the US.

Published on: March 19, 2012 | Principle 4 | Comments: 0

Turkish flag (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

How Turkish taboos perpetuate immaturity

Professor Ayşe Kadıoğlu of Sabancı University speaks of her experience growing up in Turkey where taboos, many imposed by law, have trapped citizens "in a state of immaturity".

Published on: February 17, 2012 | Principle 5 | Comments: 0

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.

Published on: February 17, 2012 | Principle 1 | Comments: 5


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