
The Crime of Speech - DiabloD3
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/04/crime-speech
======
elcapitan
> Studying the judicial history of these laws, you quickly realize that law
> enforcement only applies them after it’s identified the journalist or
> protestor that it wants to arrest. The pattern is that authorities will find
> the offending speech and then choose the law that can be interpreted to most
> closely address it. The system results in a rule by law rather than rule of
> law: the goal is to arrest, try, and punish the individual—the law is merely
> a tool used to reach an already predetermined conviction.

Thanks for the reminder about how laws against "offensive speech" will be used
in practice.

~~~
bad_user
Not just laws against "offensive speech". The report mentions how in Tunisia
you've got fabrication of charges founded upon marijuana possession. In
November 2015 there were 516 activists (out of over 2000) arrested for the
alleged consumption of cannabis.

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kabouseng
In South Africa free speech is also progressively being stifled through new
laws, whos purpose is said to punish racism and hate speech, but is actually
being used to support the governing party in silencing dissidents and critics.

[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35235102](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-
africa-35235102)

"A spokesman for the ANC chief whip's office, Moloto Mothapo, told the BBC
that current legislation was insufficient to tackle racism."

"We haven't had a single person imprisoned for racism despite many instances
of racism. We don't believe it addresses the crime of racism," he said." (he
means the current laws)

"Elsewhere glorification of Nazism and denial of Holocaust is a crime and
perpetrators are tried and sentenced to a prison term," it added.

~~~
talmand
Likely those laws were never intended to actually do anything about racism.
Racism was used as the boogeyman to justify expanding government powers to
allow arresting of the "other". It's a growing trend in many nations around
the world, using an exaggerated social issue to expand power.

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redsummer
An artist was given 6 months prison sentence in Sweden:
[http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/22/swedish-
artist-...](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/22/swedish-artist-
sentenced-racist-art-dan-park)

Similar things happen in France, Germany, Austria etc. It's usually for
challenging anti-racist dogmas. In Germany, it can be for making fun of a
foreign leader.

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geomark
This is exactly the same stuff going on in Thailand. Post something on
Facebook the gov doesn't like and receive a 6 years[1] to 60 years[2] prison
sentence. The new cybercrime billed was just announced with harsh penalties
for posting anything that embarasses anybody or damages the image of the
country. The junta doesn't give any cares at all anymore and just abducts
people who say anything they don't like[3]. You would think that western
governments would at least pretend to be strong against this kind of thing.

[1] [http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/thai-man-jailed-
years-...](http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/thai-man-jailed-years-
facebook-posts-160121064455972.html)

[2] [https://advox.globalvoices.org/2016/01/25/meet-the-thai-
face...](https://advox.globalvoices.org/2016/01/25/meet-the-thai-facebook-
user-sentenced-to-60-years-in-prison-for-insulting-the-monarchy/)

[3] [http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/950073/regime-
wield...](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/950073/regime-wields-
section-44-to-arrest-10-for-political-posts)

