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One way to examine the situation is to try to work out which is the greater "right": for someone to freely insult or distress me, or for me to protected from those who would insult or distress me.<br>
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It doesn't help when different cultures have different values when it comes to defining what an "insult" or "causing distress" might be. To that extent, sometimes people will look to their government to apply some broad-brush rules on their behalf.<div>
<div></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><font color="#000066">For example Dan Brown's book on the Da Vinci Code and Salman Rushdie's book on the Satanic Verses come to mind. Both incited ill feeling (putting it mildly) in communities around the world who felt that their religious views were trampled upon. As such Freedom of Expression is something that people in this day and age cannot take for granted. We continue to see threats against Freedom of Expression from Congo as Alain Ilunga showed us in his email to the list highlighting threats :<a href="http://www.eurasiareview.com/23122011-dr-congo-sms-messaging-suspended-until-further-notice/" target="_blank" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:13px">http://www.eurasiareview.com/23122011-dr-congo-sms-messaging-suspended-until-further-notice/</a><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:13px"> .</span></font></div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div><font color="#000066"> </font></div></div></blockquote><div><font color="#000066"> </font></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div><div><font color="#000066">This was debated in the early seventies in the United States in <i> Cohen v California </i><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:arial,sans-serif;line-height:16px">469 U.S. 879; 105 S. Ct. 243;83 L. Ed. 2d 182; 1984 U.S. </span> I am not certain whether this has been overturned. It's about Freedom of expression and involved a guy wearing a Jacket saying, "Fuck the Draft" in the Court corridors in a time where they were sending young men off to way ("Draft"). The entire judgment or brief is available on the website. It is possible that the judgment has been overturned am not certain but it is useful to see the kind of debate that occurs.</font></div>
</div></blockquote><div><br></div><div> <span style="background-color:white;color:rgb(64,64,64)"> </span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial initial"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font color="#000066">Frank La Rue (Special
Rapporteur) in his Report to the Human Rights Council (accessible via </font></span><a href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/17session/A.HRC.17.27_en.pdf" style="color:rgb(64,64,64);background-color:white" target="_blank"><span style="color:#1155cc">http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/17session/A.HRC.17.27_en.pdf</span></a><span style="color:rgb(64,64,64);background-color:white">
)</span></span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> <span style="color:#404040;background:white"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-color:white;background-repeat:initial initial"><font color="#000066">states in page 8 of the
Report that any limitation to the right of freedom of expression must pass a
<b><u>three-part cumulative test</u></b> (excerpt from Report are highlighted below):-</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font color="#ff0000"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">(a) It must be provided by law, which is clear and accessible to
everyone (principles of predictability and transparency); and</span></b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-color:white;background-repeat:initial initial"></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-color:white;background-repeat:initial initial"><font color="#ff0000">(b) It must pursue one of the purposes set out
in article 19, paragraph 3, of the Covenant, namely (i) to protect the rights
or reputations of others, or (ii) to protect national security or of public
order, or of public health or morals (principle of legitimacy); and</font></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-color:white;background-repeat:initial initial"><font color="#ff0000">(c) It must be proven as necessary and the
least restrictive means required to achieve the purported aim (principles of
necessity and proportionality).</font></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-color:white;background-repeat:initial initial"><font color="#ff0000">Moreover, any legislation restricting the right
to freedom of expression must be applied by a body which is independent of any
political, commercial, or other unwarranted influences in a manner that is
neither arbitrary nor discriminatory, and with adequate safeguards against
abuse, including the possibility of challenge and remedy against its abusive
application.</font></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><font color="#ff0000">25. As such, legitimate types of information which may be
restricted include child pornography (to protect the rights of children),8 hate
speech (to protect the rights of affected communities),9 defamation (to protect
the rights and reputation of others against unwarranted attacks), direct and
public incitement to commit genocide (to protect the rights of others),10 and
advocacy of national, <span style="background-color:rgb(255,204,0)">racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to
discrimination, hostility or violence (to protect the rights of others, such as
the right to life</span>).</font></span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#404040;background:white"></span></p></div><div><br></div><div> <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><font color="#000066">Rui Correia had also suggested a book for
reading to the IGC list some time ago on the list which was published by UNESCO called</font></span></div><div>
<h1 style="margin-top:10.55pt;margin-right:.9pt;margin-bottom:7.9pt;margin-left:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-color:yellow;font-weight:normal;background-repeat:initial initial"><font color="#000066">Freedom of Connection Freedom of Expression:
The Changing Legal and Regulatory Ecology Shaping the Internet</font></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222;font-weight:normal"> (</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Connection-Expression-Changing-Regulatory/dp/9231041886/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319404985&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><span style="color:#1155cc">http://www.amazon.com/</span><span style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial initial"><span><span style="color:#222222;background:#ffffcc;text-decoration:none">Freedom</span></span></span><span style="color:#1155cc">-Connection-</span><span style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial initial"><span><span style="color:#222222;background:#ffffcc;text-decoration:none">Expression</span></span></span><span style="color:#1155cc">-Changing-Regulatory/dp/9231041886/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319404985&sr=8-1</span></a>)</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222;font-weight:normal"></span></h1>
<div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><font color="#000066"><br></font></span></div><div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><font color="#000066">This should make excellent reading, I am sure although I have not read it yet. :(</font></span></div>
</div>-- <br><div>Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro aka Sala</div><div><br></div><div>Tweeter: @SalanietaT</div><div>Skype:Salanieta.Tamanikaiwaimaro</div><div>Cell: <a href="tel:%2B679%20998%202851" value="+6799982851" target="_blank">+679 998 2851</a></div>
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