Definition

As Wikipedia adequately puts:"Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship or limitation, or both."


Nevertheless in practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute.

This bring few other terms such as "symbolic speech", "hate speech" and "protected speech".

In fact Symbolic speech is a legal term in United States law used to describe actions that purposefully and discernibly convey a particular message or statement to those viewing it, but Hate speech is a general term which occurs outside the law, any communication which disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race or sexual orientation.

The freedom of speech right is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) it stands in this particular definition:"The right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression."

By looking through history the Conception of freedom of speech can be found in early human rights documents.

The European Enlightenment,(the era in Western philosophy and intellectual, scientific and cultural life, centered upon the eighteenth century in which reason was advocated as the primary source for legitimacy and authority) was a crucial turnpoint in gradual emerging of the right to freedom of speech and expression.

In England’s Bill of Rights 1689,and French Revolution in 1789 it was adopted and specifically affirmed .In French Revolution it was called an inalienable right.

And UN had adopted it in 1948 as this statement :

"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 and regardless of frontiers."