By Jacob Mchangama In 1649, a group of English radicals sent a petition to the House of Commons. In it, they lamented the licensing of printing — which allowed the government to “pre-censor” books and pamphlets — as well as the harsh punishments for publishing unlicensed or “scandalous” ones. The radicals warned that this kind […]
By Natalie Alkiviadou As you roll out of bed, enjoy your morning coffee, and scroll through the comment sections on social media’s biggest stories, you are confronted with the reality that a lot of false information and bigotry is being posted online. Although this feeling resonates with many people — including global leaders who believe […]
By Erich Thomas Mafra The global decline in freedom of expression isn’t limited to authoritarian states, but is also affecting established democracies. This assertion comes from one of the world’s most respected voices on the topic of freedom of expression: Danish lawyer Jacob Mchangama . According to him, “democracies are increasingly restricting freedom of expression. […]
For Jacob Mchangama, we are living in a recession. However, he’s not talking about finances or unemployment, but rather about freedom of expression. The Danish professor, an expert on the subject, is director of The Future of Free Speech, a think tank based at Vanderbilt University in the United States. And although Mchangama is not […]
By Madeleine Lacsko This week, São Paulo will host a historic masterclass on freedom of expression . The event, organized by a diverse consortium of institutions, will bring together legal experts, journalists, researchers, parliamentarians, and civil society representatives in a debate environment that has become increasingly rare in Brazil: one where dissent is possible with […]
By Erich Thomas Mafra The Danish Jacob Mchangama, considered a global reference in the defense of freedom of expression and author of the work “Freedom of expression: from Socrates to social media”, will be in Brazil next week for a masterclass on the subject . In an exclusive interview with Gazeta do Povo , the […]
By Ashkhen Kazaryan Each June, Pride Month turns our public spaces into sites of celebration and remembrance. But Pride is not just a cultural event; it is a constitutional exercise. At its core, Pride embodies the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment: speech, assembly, press, and petition. Expressive acts of defiance wrote the history of […]
By Anam Baloch Free speech isn’t just ink on parchment in Pakistan’s constitution under Article 19, but it is the very essence of democracy in states. With the emergence of the internet, we’ve witnessed a nexus between the ‘online and offline’ and now speech as we see it has also become digital. As users of […]
By Gürkan Özturan As the Future Free Speech project released its latest report, the findings on Turkey paint an interesting image. Turkish society seems to predominantly have a strong sense of support for freedom of expression, in principle. Yet experiences lived in the country deeply contradict this support, as the reality shows that freedom remains […]
Photo Credit: Frankie Fouganthin By Jacob Mchangama In 1793, Thomas Paine launched a furious assault on Christianity with The Age of Reason. “What is it the Bible teaches us?” he asked. “Rapine, cruelty, and murder.” He didn’t stop there. “What is it the Testament teaches us? — to believe that the Almighty committed debauchery with a woman […]