What do a 22-year-old climate activist, a journalist reporting on a gang rape case and a politician supporting a farmers’ protest have in common? They have all recently been charged with sedition as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’s wider crackdown on free speech targeting journalists, leaders of the opposition, protestors, students and even […]
In today’s India, civil society and citizens must realise that if tide against cracking down on free speech is to be turned, developing support for free speech is important Read the full piece by Jacob Mchangama and Raghav Mendiratta.
Economist – In some countries, people think they have too much freedom of speech Foreign Policy – People Want Free Speech—for Themselves Politico – BY THE NUMBERS — MEASURING SUPPORT FOR FREE SPEECH Bhaskar News (India) – दि इकॉनॉमिस्ट से विशेष अनुबंध के तहत:डेनमार्क के थिंक टैंक ‘जस्टीशिया’ की रिपोर्ट में दावा; केन्या, ट्यूनीशिया के लोग […]
Americans oppose restrictions, but report feeling less free to speak about political matters. Freedom of expression wins strong endorsements around the world when people are asked, say researchers, so why have protections for speech consistently slipped for over a decade? Part of the problem is that many of those surveyed embrace a convenient attitude toward […]
The Justitia Free Speech Index maps attitudes towards hot button issues such as regulation of social media, tolerance of “fake news”, hate speech and blasphemy. The Danish think tank’s research found that people in some countries think they have too much freedom. Justita’s Jacob Mchangama emails that there’s “strong support for uncensored free speech in the abstract,” but when […]
Who cares about free speech? Almost everyone, according to a new global survey commissioned by Justitia (of which I am the director). In fact, across populations in 33 countries, a whopping 94 percent think it’s important for people to be able to say what they want without censorship. Likewise, the rights of the media to report as they see […]
WESTERNERS TEND to regard freedom of speech as a universal good. However, a forthcoming report by Justitia, a Danish think-tank, demonstrates that public support for freedom of expression varies widely among countries, just as legal restraints on speech do. In many countries, particularly authoritarian regimes, people say they want fewer controls. But perhaps surprisingly, in […]
On the 15th March 2021, the Vatican issued a statement (approved by the Pope) which notes that the Catholic church would not bless same-sex unions, referring to them as “sinful” and underlining that God “does not and cannot bless sin.” This statement gives food for thought (for a lot of different things) but also for the issue of […]
Raghav Mendiratta is a lawyer and a Legal Fellow at the Future of Free Speech project (Justitia and Columbia University). @raghav_mendirat As per the recently released Freedom House Freedom Report, India has now been demoted to ‘Partly Free’ from the ‘Free’ category. Civil liberties and free expression have seen a slow but steady breakdown in India over the last […]
Social media platforms have become indispensable channels for public debate, and yet they are now rarely seen as an out-and-out benefit to democracy. Rather, they are more likely to be seen as transmitting fake news, conspiracy theories and hate. Fears are also growing that private tech companies are exercising too much power over – and […]