What is freedom of speech?
Freedom of speech is the principle that supports the right of individuals to seek, receive and impart information and opinions of all kinds using any means. However, in some circumstances, it might be restricted. In fact, governments have the right to forbid hate speech and incitement.
Why is it important?
It is very important as it is a core value of the democratic system, moreover, it is a right and forms Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it allows human beings to find information that is deeply important to them, without censorship.
Freedom of speech and Covid-19
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on people’s lives all over the world. Covid-19 deeply affected the management of countries, as in fact, governments had to take strict measures to contain the spread of the virus.
Moreover, it weakened some fundamental rights such as freedom of speech or the right to access information. Currently, the media are playing an extremely important role in society since they provide information to the public and try to avoid panic and misinformation.
However, during this very vulnerable time, some governments tried to limit people and the press as they did not want some information to be leaked.
According to Human Rights Watch, at least 83 governments have used the coronavirus pandemic to violate the exercise of free speech and peaceful assembly. Some authorities have attacked, prosecuted and, in the worst cases, killed critics. Additionally, they closed media outlets and enacted laws that criminalized speech that is deemed to be a threat to public health.
A suitable example might be the Wuhan doctor who in January, at the very beginning of the pandemic, was arrested for letting people know about the deadly virus.
Another scenario that perfectly applies is the one that concerns the journalist Tugay Can. This latter was taken in for questioning on March 25 last year in Izmir. Lately, he has been told that he was suspected of spreading fear and panic as he wrote a report about the Coronavirus outbreaks.
Obstructing people from knowing the truth implies they would not be able to protect themselves from this virus, hence, the consequences would be devastating, as people would not be aware of the reality but would exclusively be aware of what the government wants them to know. In a delicate situation such as this, it is of vital importance to share with the citizens the reality of what is happening around them as they have to behave accordingly.
Undoubtedly, it is necessary to provide true information, and not to create panic in people’s lives. Providing to the population misinformation would just be counterproductive for the government and the people who live in that country.
Gerry Simpsons, an associate crisis and conflict director at Human Right Watch fairly stated that countries should fight Covid-19 by encouraging people to wear the mask and not shut up.
To conclude, freedom of speech is extremely important and should be protected, especially at such vulnerable times as the pandemic. It is a human right and this situation should not deprive people of it. It is outrageous that some people were arrested simply for talking about this virus and for informing the population.
However, as aforementioned, it is extremely important in such a delicate situation to provide information that represents the truth.
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