Governments should focus on protecting speech, not squashing it

Freedom of speech is a prerequisite for a free society, and a fundamental human right guaranteed by every major human rights treaty. Upholding this right is essential for the protection of all of our human rights.

Increasingly, we are seeing not only the failure to protect free speech, but also the introduction of measures by the state to actively silence and sanction free expression. State-driven censorship fuels cancel culture and a climate of fear. Once the state starts censoring ‘unpopular’ speech, there is no logical stopping point.

Without free speech, every human right is imperiled

While laws that punish speech often impose different punishments and occur in different contexts, the foundation is often very similar. For example, blasphemy laws and ‘hate speech’ laws are both state-driven censorship grounded in the idea that some words are simply too offensive to be heard.

In a free society, ideas should be challenged with ideas, not censorship.

ADF International’s Response

As international human rights advocates with deep expertise in defending the right to free speech, ADF International is uniquely positioned to address the escalating censorship crisis worldwide. Our work focuses on the international institutions — including the European Court of Human Rights and the Organization of American States — which were set up to ensure states respect their human rights commitments.

ADF International upholds the human right to free speech through our advocacy efforts worldwide — defending individuals unjustly penalized, and working to slow, stop, and ultimately reverse the spread of laws that unduly restrict speech.