Why We Value Freedom of Opinion and Expression
At last years OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting — when we could meet in person, Set My People Free’s founder shared this intervention with the OSCE states on the importance of freedom of speech and access to information.
You can download the intervention here: https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/1/0/432527_0.pdf
Thank you for prioritising freedom of expression by giving the first three days of the OSCE HDIM to this issue, as it is basic for democracy to impart information and to receive information.
Freedom for the media and of the internet is crucial for freedom of expression. If you cannot promote your speech there is no freedom of expression.
Freedom for the media and of the internet is crucial for freedom of expression. If you cannot promote your speech there is no freedom of expression.
If you have a deaf and dumb child, that child will not develop normally unless you work on making it possible for the child to receive information and impart information. To impart and receive information is crucial and critical for the growth and development of the child mentally.
This is why freedom to impart and receive information is key for the prosperity of a nation. It is for progress and for creativity and innovation. It helps in pollination of ideas and it enriches the community.
This is why freedom of receiving and imparting information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers is so important. Without it, its impact on the society and the community will have similar effect as deafness and dumbness on the individual.
Having only one narrative and forcing it on all makes the information propaganda.
Freedom of expression opens the door for critical thinking, different opinions and debate.
It leads to accountability. Freedom of expression protects the democratic state from tyranny.
This is why it is crucial that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.
Recommendations:
- For implementation of the above we need to remove obstacles and any hindrances for freedom of expression.
- Stop censorship because it does not help to stop hate speech or end fake news. Counter it by more speech, debate and critical thinking and truth.
- We do not need to make new laws for the internet. We can use the existing freedom of expression and opinion laws for the press and media.
- Protect journalist, freedom of expression, the public domain and the independence of the press and the internet from the state control.
Kamal Fahmi
International Executive Director Set My People Free
Tel. 0046 703419766 freedom2worship.org
