Freedom of speech is a principle that supports thefreedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation,censorship, or legal sanction. Theright tofreedom of expression has been recognised as ahuman right in theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) andinternational human rights law. Many countries have constitutional laws that protect freedom of speech. Terms such asfree speech,freedom of speech, andfreedom of expression are often used interchangeably in political discourse. However, in legal contexts,freedom of expression more broadly encompasses the right to seek, receive, and impart information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.
Article 19 of the UDHR states that "everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference" and "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 print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice". The version of Article 19 in theICCPR later amends this by stating that the exercise of these rights carries "special duties and responsibilities" and may "therefore be subject to certain restrictions" when necessary "[f]or respect of the rights or reputation of others" or "[f]or the protection ofnational security or public order (ordre public), or of public health ormorals". (Full article...)
United States v. Alvarez,567U.S. ___ (2012), was aUnited States Supreme Court case in which the Court struck down theStolen Valor Act, a federal law that criminalized false statements about having a military medal. The law had been passed as an effort to stem instances where people falsely claimed to have won the medal in an attempt to protect the "valor" of those who really had. While a 6-3 majority of the Supreme Court agreed that the law was unconstitutional under theFirst Amendment's free speech protections, it could not agree on a single rationale. Four justices concluded that a statement's falsity is not enough, by itself, to exclude speech from First Amendment protection. Another two justices concluded that while false statements were entitled to some protection, the Stolen Valor Act was invalid because it could have achieved its objectives in less restrictive ways. Reaction from the political community and from veteran organizations were negative. Several months after the decision, both chambers of Congress passed new versions of the Stolen Valor Act based on the suggestions in the Court's opinion. Despite the Supreme Court having struck down the conviction under the Act, Alvarez remained in prison for fraud on other matters.
Image 2George Orwell statue at the headquarters of theBBC. A defence of free speech in an open society, the wall behind the statue is inscribed with the words "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear", words fromGeorge Orwell's proposed preface toAnimal Farm (1945). (fromFreedom of speech)
Image 3World map highlighting countries with legislation criminalisingHolocaust denial as of 2025
Countries where Holocaust denial is illegal
Countries where Holocaust denial is illegal when threatening or inciting hatred, discrimination, or violence, or where legality is ambiguous
Image 18Orthodox priestLibor Halík with a group of followers. Halík has been chanting daily for over five years against abortion via megaphone in front of a maternity hospital inBrno,Moravia. (fromFreedom of speech by country)
Zoia Horn (born 1918 inOdessa, Ukraine) is anAmerican librarian who is considered to be the firstlibrarian ever to be jailed for refusing to divulge information that violated her belief in intellectual freedom. Horn, an outspoken member of theAmerican Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee, worked atBucknell University inLewisburg, Pennsylvania in the early 1970s. Horn was jailed for nearly three weeks for contempt after refusing to testify for the prosecution in the 1972conspiracy trial of the "Harrisburg Seven" anti-war activists.
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