The War on Terror and Restrictions on Free Speech

On February 18-19, 2009, the IDI National Security and Democracy Program and Terrorism and Democracy Project, in cooperation with the Minerva Center for Human Rights and the Bruce W. Wayne Chair in International Law of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as with the University of Zurich, held a seminar to explore the impact of the war on terror on different aspects of the right to free speech from various perspectives: Israeli law, comparative law, international law, and legal, political and philosophical theory.

Participants included:

• Prof. Dieter Grimm, a former judge in the German Constitutional Court;
• Prof. Irwin Cotler, Canada's former Minister of Justice and Attorney General;
• Prof. Amos Guiora of the University of Utah (formerly with the IDF);
• Prof. Emmanuel Gross of Haifa University;
• Prof. Matthias Mahlmann of Zurich University;
• Prof. Mordechai Kremnitzer of the IDI;
• Prof. Stefan Gosepath of the University of Bremen;
• Prof. Raphael Cohen-Almagor of Hull University;
• Mr. Hassan Jabarin of Adalah

The participants explored potential security justifications for curbing free speech and associated rights and interests (such as the freedom of assembly and political participation) in light of the unique status of freedom of speech in democratic societies, and presented diverse views on the subject (ranging from heightened tolerance to more restrictive positions). The seminar is one in a series of conferences, seminars and other academic events organized by the IDI on the issue of terrorism and democracy, which seeks to place the dilemmas confronting Israel within a broader international context.

Wednesday, February 18th

Thursday, February 19th