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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27 April 2018

Family says Palestinian gunned down by Mossad agents in Malaysia !



SOURCE:  
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/04/21/family-says-palestinian-gunned-down-by-mossad-agents-in-malaysia/

Family says Palestinian gunned down by Mossad agents in Malaysia



 | April 21, 2018


Palestinian group Hamas says Batash's killing early today is the work of Israeli agents, and his family demands Malaysian authorities to investigate the murder.

KUALA LUMPUR: The death of a Palestinian engineer here early today has been described as an assassination by Israeli agents in Malaysia, with his family demanding Malaysian authorities to investigate the murder.


Fadi al-Batash.

Fadi al-Batash, 35, was shot more than 10 times at close range by two unidentified men on a motorcycle in Gombak at about 6am today.

Israeli daily Haaretz, citing Palestinian news sources, quoted a senior leader of Palestinian group Islamic Jihad related to Batash, Khaled al-Batash, who accused Israeli intelligence agency Mossad of being behind the assassination.


The family said Batash, who is married and has three children, was supposed to attend an energy conference on Sunday.

Haaretz also reported that Batash was a member of resistance group Hamas, and was a former resident of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip. Quoting Palestinian sources, it said Batash “was a revered engineer in electrical engineering and energy production”.


Earlier today, police told Bernama that the two assailants had waited for about 20 minutes for Batash outside his condominium, before they ambushed him as he was walking to a surau to perform the dawn prayer.

It is understood that he frequently led prayers at a mosque in the city during Ramadan, and had been leading night prayers during Ramadan since 2014, courtesy of local welfare organisation Humanitarian Care Malaysia (MyCARE).

Meanwhile, PAS has urged the government to investigate claims that Mossad agents had infiltrated Malaysia to carry out assassination on Palestinian activists.

“It has been a practice by Mossad to carry out assassination of Muslim leaders around the world including in the West. We believe this incident is also related to that and there is a mastermind behind it,” said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

“The government must show courage and not be pressured,” he said.




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