FREEDOM OF SPEECH / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION


FREEDOM OF SPEECH / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship and/or limitation. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used [United Nations, 1966, 1976]. The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR recognizes the right to freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression". Furthermore freedom of speech is recognized in European, inter-American and African regional human rights law [United Nations, 1966, 1967]. Freedom of speech, or the freedom of expression, is recognized in international and regional human rights law. The right is enshrined in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights [Andrew Puddephatt & Hodder Arnold, 2005; Kumar, Ambika, 2006].

In Islamic ethics freedom of speech was first declared in the Rashidun period by the caliph Umar in the 7th century. In the Abbasid Caliphate period, freedom of speech was also declared by al-Hashimi (a cousin of Caliph al-Ma'mun) in a letter to one of the religious opponents he was attempting to convert through reason.

According to George Makdisi and Hugh Goddard, "the idea of academic freedom" in universities was "modelled on Islamic custom" as practiced in the medieval Madrasah system from the 9th century. Islamic influence was "certainly discernible in the foundation of the first deliberately-planned university" in Europe [Boisard, Marcel A., 1980].

* Selected REFERENCES / Sources:

Amnesty International: Annual Reports: URLhttp://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aireport/index.html Andrew Puddephatt & Hodder Arnold. (2005). Freedom of Expression: The Essentials of Human Rights. United Publishers. Boisard, Marcel A. (July 1980), "On the Probable Influence of Islam on Western Public and International Law", International Journal of Middle East Studies 11 (4): 429–50. Goddard, Hugh. (2000). A History of Christian-Muslim Relations. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Kumar, Ambika. (2006). ‘Using Courts to Enforce the Free Speech Provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.’ Published by Chicago Journal of International Law. Summer 2006. URLhttp://www.allbusiness.com/corporate-governance/4082846-1.html United Nations: ‘International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.’ Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16th December 1966: Entry into force 23 March 1976, in accordance with Article 49. URLhttp://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm (United Nations) Wikipedia. (2010). ‘Freedom of Speech.’ Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. URLhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_expression

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03 December 2010

Gun Show Events and Accident


Comment:

Dumb father who let the boy held the gun, and dumb organizer(s) too, that organized such events, and letting a minor held the gun - BOTH should be charged !!


Gun show death video 'too gruesome':lawyer
Denise Lavoie, AAP December 3, 2010, 4:41 pm
A videotape showing the moment an eight-year-old boy accidentally shot himself dead with an Uzi submachine gun is too gruesome to be shown in court, lawyers for a gun fair organiser charged with the boy's manslaughter say. Christopher Bizilj was killed when he lost control of the Uzi and shot himself in the head at a gun fair in Westfield, Massachusetts, in 2008.

The video was filmed by Christopher's father, Dr Charles Bizilj, who was standing nearby as his son fired a 9mm micro Uzi submachine gun at a pumpkin. The boy lost control of the gun as it recoiled. Edward Fleury, who owned the company that organised the event, has been charged with Christopher's manslaughter.

Edward Fleury, who is the former police chief of Pelham, Massachusetts, has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial next week. Fleury's lawyers say the videotape is gruesome and is likely to elicit an emotional reaction from jurors and prejudice them against their client. They are asking the judge to keep the videotape out of the trial or, if not, then to bar prosecutors from playing the audio portion of the tape, which includes the father's anguished reaction to the death of his son.

One of Fleury's lawyers, Rosemary Curran Scapicchio, said the videotape was graphic and could evoke bias against her client. "I'd hate to have the jurors not be able to remain impartial after they've seen the video," Scapicchio said.
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