Freedom
of
expression
should
not lead
to
support
for
utterances
that
promote
hatred
and
enmity,
without
attention
to
questions
of
evidence
or
credibility,
said
Prof
Rajiva
Wijesinha
Secretary
of the
Ministry
of
Disaster
Management
and
Human
Rights
at the
Human
Rights
Council
in
Geneva
yesterday
(23).
He was
referring
to the
issue of
Freedom
of
Expression
and said
"The
issue of
Freedom
of
Expression,
which we
all see
as one
of the
most
important
Rights
we
should
encourage
and
protect.
We were
struck
by the
presentation
of the
distinguished
representative
from
Norway,
who
noted
its
importance
but
commented
that
this
freedom
had to
be
limited
in the
case of
incitements
to
hatred.
Unfortunately
what
constitutes
such
incitement
is not
easy to
distinguish,
he
added.
The
Secretary
spoke
about
the
impact
of
freedom
of
expression
when
exercised
without
responsibility
and said
some
time
back we
were
astonished
when
International
Educational
Development
Inc made
a
passionate
defence
of the
use of
children
over 14
in
combat.
Such
statements
could be
defended
in terms
of the
right to
freedom
of
expression,
but when
such
wicked
ideas
are
translated
into
practice
it is
the
vulnerable
who
suffer.
He also
said
thus we
found it
deeply
depressing
that
those
members
of the
international
community
functioning
in areas
controlled
by
terrorists
kept
quiet
about
the fact
that the
Tigers
recruited
first
one, and
then
even a
second,
member
of each
family.
But it
would
seem
that the
ruthlessness
of
terrorists
was
enough
of a
barrier
then to
the free
expression
that
might
have
saved
children,
whilst
conversely
those
who
advocated
child
recruitment
could
propagate
their
wicked
ways
even in
this
august
assembly.
"Conversely,
whilst
upholding
the
right to
free
expression,
we
should
be
careful
about
encouraging
downright
falsehoods.
Sadly
the
historic
basis of
European
morality,
the Ten
Commandments,
now
seems to
have
gone by
the
board.
Despite
the
experience
of the
horror
of witch
hunts,
the
bearing
of false
witness
seems to
be
positively
encouraged,
especially
against
those
who seem
distant
or
easily
bothered,"
the
Secretary
said.
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