Right to freedom of opinion and expression

The right to freedom of opinion is the right to hold opinions without

interference, and cannot be subject to any exception or restriction.The right to
freedom of expression extends to any medium, including written and oral
communications, the media, public protest, broadcasting, artistic works and
commercial advertising. The right to freedom of opinion and expression is a
complex right that includes the right to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas of all kinds and through whatever medium.
Everyone, except an administrative body, shall have the freedom of expression,
which shall imply: absolute freedom of thought, freedom of political speech and
debate, the right to look for, receive, create, keep, develop, and disseminate
information and ideas in any form, unacceptability of censorship, editorial
independence and pluralism of the media, the right of a journalist to protect the
secret of information source and to make editorial decisions based on his/her
conscience, academic freedom to learn, teach, and research,freedom of arts,
artistic creativity and invention,the right to speak any language, the right to
charity, freedom from compulsion to express his/her own opinion on faith,
religion, conscience, ideology, ethnic, cultural or social belonging, origin, family,
property and rank status, as well as on all other circumstances.
Freedom of expression refers to the right to express one’s opinions or thoughts
freely by utilizing any of the different modes of communication available. The
ideas aired should, however, not cause any intentional harm to other personality
or status through false or ambiguous statements. Communication of ideas can be
achieved through speech, writing or art. Freedom of expression, unlike freedom
of thought, may be regulated by the appropriate authorities in any society in
order to avoid controversies between different individuals. The subject of
freedom of expression has always been controversial, especially when considering
political aspects. A state is perceived to have the mandate to impede people from
convening groups in which they air their opinions if those views can result in
direct harm to other people.
Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right enshrined in article 19 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Along with its corollaries of freedom
of information and press freedom, freedom of expression serves as an enabler of
all other rights. The Organization recognizes that human rights apply equally
online and offline.
Every democratic country gives its citizens the Freedom of Speech so as to
enable the citizens to freely express their individual views, ideas and concerns.
The freedom to be able to practice any religion, to be able to express individual
secularism and for spreading democratic values across the world. In order to be
able to save and to celebrate democracy. Freedom of speech about fundamental
rights is also a fundamental duty of citizens in order to save the essence of
democracy. In a country, a healthy, liberal and strong democracy is always
reflected and can be seen through a strong media presence, as the media are the
voice of the common people. When faced with any form of criticism, we see
some governments get very hostile, and they try to oppress and stop any kind of
voices that might go against them. This is not favorable for any country.
Are there any restrictions to this right?
Although you have freedom of expression , you also have a duty to behave
responsibly and to respect other people’s rights.
Public authorities may restrict this right if they can show that their action
islawful, necessary and proportionate in order to:
~protect national security, territorial integrity (the borders of the state) or
publicsafety
~prevent disorder or crime
~protect health or morals
~protect the rights and reputations of other people
~prevent the disclosure of information received in confidence
~maintain the authority and impartiality of judges
An authority may be allowed to restrict your freedom of expression if, for
example, you express views that encourage racial or religious hatred.
 However, the relevant public authority must show that the restriction is
appropriate and no more than necessary to address the issue concerned.
Using this right – example
This right is particularly important for journalists and other people working in the
media.They must be free to criticise the government and our public institutions
without fear of prosecution - this is a vital feature of a democratic society.But that
doesn't prevent the state from imposing restrictions on the media in order to
protect other human rights, such as a person's right to respect for their private
life.