ICCPR Article 19 states
1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.
The UN Human Rights Committee have emphasised that the right to
freedom of expression encompasses “news and information, […] commercial expression and
advertising, […] works of art, etc.; it should not be confined to means of political, cultural or artistic expression.”
Moreover, the right to freedom of expression also extends to
controversial, disturbing or even shocking material; the mere fact that an idea is disliked or
thought to be incorrect cannot justify preventing a person from expressing it.
Freedom to impart ideas is particularly important in the area of political speech.
Healthy democracy requires exposure of the public officials and not just to internal scrutiny by legislative and judicial authorities, but by the public.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/ccpr.aspx
#humanrights #article19 #iccpr
Niranjan Meegammana
HR Researcher & Technologist
Digital Human Rights
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