Press House organizes a workshop on the topic of "Freedom of opinion, Expression and Hate Speech”

Gaza - Press House

On Monday, July 27, 2020, Press House – Palestine (BAS) organized a workshop on the topic of "Freedom of opinion, Expression and Hate Speech" as part of Strengthening Free & Independent Media in Palestine Project ‎activities.

The speakers of the workshop Mr. Kanaan Al-Sourani (legal consultant)  and Ms. Ola Al Radwan (lawyer), where a group of journalists and graduates of media faculties in Palestinian universities attended the workshop.

Mr. Al-Sourani spoke about the importance of expressing opinion, as it is considered a guaranteed right for every human being in international conventions and instruments in a way that does not violate the standards of society and religion, and does not cause any harm, pointing out that the expression of opinion took a new form represented in social media, which has become strongly influenced in the delivery of messages thousands of times more than the traditional tools of newspapers and radio.

He added that some countries considered the social media as broadcasts and imposed on them some regulations and laws that would hold violators accountable and protect the rights of their pioneers, explaining that every citizen has the right to access information and documents, which in turn deepens transparency, and reduces neglect, exploitation and theft.

From her part, Ms. Radwan addressed the hate speech that is now invading social media and public life, noting that it carries many forms, the most important of which are incitement to violence, hostility and discrimination, and is a punishable crime.

Ms. Radwan stressed that international and local laws and conventions did not speak out about "hate speech", but included many of the clauses on it, and imposed penalties that could reach to more than three years in prison for defamation, for example.

Ms. Radwan concluded her speech by calling on new journalists, to raise awareness about the dangers of hate speech and its negative impact on societies, by urging consensus and harmony and refuting lies, and verifying before any incident is transmitted through different media.

The workshop included many participations by the participants, which focused on ‎ freedom of opinion, expression and hate Speech, In the case of openness and technological development, both Mr.Sourani and Ms.Radwan answered about that.