FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Human Rights Committee discusses General Comment

Submitted by crinadmin on

Summary: The Human Rights Committee is holding a series of meetings to discuss the proposed General Comment on Freedom of Expression.

On 19 July, the Human Rights Committee began its second reading of a draft General Comment on States parties' obligations under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, setting out the rights to hold an opinion without interference and to freedom of expression.

There was a great deal of discussion regarding paragraph 33 pertaining to public morals and the need to highlight that laws restricting freedom of expression on the basis of morals be non-discriminatory in manner. Experts referred to the Committee's General Comment 22 which said that morals differed from one society to another so some of them were worried that by allowing this language in the draft General Comment it would undermine freedom of expression because States could then use this language as a way of undermining the right based on cultural or societal norms.

  • Read about the discussions on the General Comment, here and here.

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