Resumen:
The right to freedom of expression enjoys a position of paramount importance in liberal democratic societies. It is said to be the basis of other constitutionally recognised freedoms such as assembly, association and religion. The merest of glances at the constitutions of Western European nations, the United States and Canada to name
but a few appears to confirm its central importance. Even in the United Kingdom where, until the passing of the Human Rights Act 1998, no formal constitutional protection for freedom of expression or other civil liberties existed, the rhetoric of the
common law has long proclaimed the fundamental significance of free expression. At the level of international law, speech is explicitly protected in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In
respect of the latter, the Media Division of the Council of Europe has been proactive in organising seminars with judges, lawyers and journalists from new signatory states (many of whom are former Soviet bloc countries emerging from restrictive speech
regimes) to raise awareness of freedom of expression issues and, importantly, to prompt review of domestic legislation affecting the media. |
