Saturday, December 1, 2012

Evolution of Censorship - Oslo Freedom Forum 2011

Evolution of Censorship - Oslo Freedom Forum 2011 Tube. Duration : 52.25 Mins.


The "Evolution of Censorship" panel, moderated by International PEN president John Ralston Saul, features speakers from Egypt, Russia, Denmark, and Brazil, each of whom brings to the discussion a unique perspective on freedom of expression. Egyptian analyst Mona Eltahawy begins the panel by stressing the importance of hate speech in a free society. After all, offensive language goes both ways; while she claims the right to demonstrate in support of the Islamic community center next to Ground Zero in New York, she also embraces Terry Jones' right to burn the Koran. Meanwhile, Brazilian journalist Fernão Lara Mesquita emphasizes the importance of education in creating a culture in which people can accurately judge the actions of their government. Russian online newspaper editor Gregory Shvedov talks about the role of social media in the battle for human rights. The "censors of our times," according to him, adopted the new technological tools and are now fighting internet activists on their own terrain. As the panel closes, Danish lawyer Jacob Mchangama discusses an important recent development in international censorship. A group of countries led by Pakistan attempted to make religious defamation illegal, but dropped the attempt after numerous protests by human rights groups. With moves like this still garnering support, the battle to end censorship is clearly far from over, yet dedicated activists like these four individuals remind us that the demanding struggle is ...

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