Freedom of Expression, parliament and the promotion of tolerant societies

From 25 to 27 May 2005, the House of Parliaments was host of the Seminar on Freedom of Expression, Parliament and the Promotion of Tolerant Societies. In organising this event, the Inter-Parliamentary Union had associated itself with an expert organization in the field of freedom of expression, Article 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression. It was the second seminar organized specifically for chairpersons and members of parliamentary human rights committees. Freedom of expression, the main working tool of members of parliament, is not an absolute right and raises many issues, such as for example defamation and the right to privacy, access to information, media freedom, parliamentary immunity and hate speech. The brochure contains the experts contributions and extracts of the debates.