{"id":1997725,"date":"2023-08-11T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T16:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-dangerous-global-trend-of-criminalizing-free-expression-online\/"},"modified":"2023-08-11T12:03:45","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T16:03:45","slug":"the-dangerous-global-trend-of-criminalizing-free-expression-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-dangerous-global-trend-of-criminalizing-free-expression-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Global trend: Criminalizing online free expression is dangerous."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-dangerous-global-trend-of-criminalizing-free-expression-online%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1997725&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Elon Musk&#8217;s Offer and the Need for Free Expression<\/h2>\n<p>Elon Musk has famously\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1688022163574439937\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">offered<\/a> to cover\u2063 the \u200ccosts of\u2064 anyone \u200bwho \u2062faces professional consequences for \u2063their Twitter\u2062 activity. But \u200cnow, it&#8217;s time for him\u200b to focus on those who are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/attack-of-the-zombie-era\/\" title=\"Attack of the Zombie ERA\">facing criminal charges<\/a> for their online expression. This month has shown us that Twitter is far from a safe space for the right to free speech.<\/p>\n<h3>A \u2063Case\u2064 of &#8220;Gender-Based Political Violence&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>On August 9th, Mexico&#8217;s\u200b highest\u200b court for electoral\u2063 issues upheld\u2062 a guilty verdict against former congressman\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/mexican-civil-society-leader-found-guilty-of-gender-based-political-violence-for-tweets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rodrigo Iv\u00e1n Cort\u00e9s<\/a>. Cort\u00e9s was charged\u200c with &#8220;gender-based\u2063 political \u2064violence&#8221; for\u200d stating \u200con Twitter and\u200d Facebook that a transgender-identifying congressional representative is a &#8220;man who self-ascribes as a woman.&#8221; These charges \u2063were brought against \u2064him\u200b based on the representative&#8217;s claim of &#8220;denial of\u2064 identity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For speaking the truth about biological\u200d reality,\u2062 Cort\u00e9s has \u2064been\u2063 hit with severe penalties,\u200d including a fine and a court order to\u200c post the judgment and \u2064an apology on his\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-democrats-celebrate-medicare-anniversary-with-attacks-on-republicans\/\" title=\"Senate Democrats mark Medicare anniversary by criticizing Republicans.\">social media\u2063 platforms<\/a> every day for \u200d30\u200b days. He is \u2062also required to attend a course for political violators and be listed as an offender. Clearly, \u2064Cort\u00e9s&#8217; life will \u2062never be the same for \u200bexpressing his beliefs on\u200c Twitter.<\/p>\n<h3>Not an \u200cIsolated Incident<\/h3>\n<p>Cort\u00e9s is\u2064 not the only one facing\u2064 such consequences. The same\u200c transgender representative also filed\u200b a successful suit against Mexican congressman <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/gabriel-quadri-mexico\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gabriel Quadri<\/a>. This representative, along with another transgender\u2064 representative, has been causing\u2064 unrest\u2063 within Mexico&#8217;s Congress. They even presented a \u2064&#8221;hate speech&#8221;\u2063 bill \u2064targeting Christian teachings on sexual morality while dressed as a Catholic \u200cbishop.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-dangerous-global-trend-of-criminalizing-free-expression-online\/\" title=\"Global trend: Criminalizing online free expression is dangerous.\">representative shared explicit videos<\/a> of \u2064their \u2064own &#8220;sex\u2064 work&#8221; on Twitter,\u2062 claiming the right to freely share such content\u2062 on digital platforms. The irony is undeniable.<\/p>\n<h3>Disagreement\u2064 Should Not \u2062Be Penalized<\/h3>\n<p>Disagreement is not discrimination, and peaceful dissent should never be treated as violence. It is\u2062 deeply concerning that\u2062 Cort\u00e9s and Quadri, who exercised their basic human right\u200d to \u2062express their views\u200c on an \u200dimportant topic, have been convicted as \u2062violent offenders.\u2063 The real perpetrators\u200b of\u200b unrest within Mexico&#8217;s\u2064 political institutions \u2062are their political opponents.<\/p>\n<p>Having exhausted\u2064 all avenues for justice in \u2063Mexico, both\u2062 Cort\u00e9s and\u200c Quadri are now taking their cases to the Inter-American Commission\u2064 on Human Rights with the support of ADF International.<\/p>\n<h3>Targeting a Finnish \u2062Member of Parliament<\/h3>\n<p>In addition to \u2063the cases in Mexico, Finnish member \u200dof parliament\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/free-speech-on-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen<\/a> \u2063 is returning to court for\u200b a 2019 Twitter post that led\u200b to criminal charges of \u200b&#8221;hate \u200cspeech&#8221;\u2064 and &#8220;agitation of a minority group.&#8221;\u200b R\u00e4s\u00e4nen questioned\u200d her church&#8217;s participation in a local\u200b pride parade, and she \u2064is still facing the consequences of exercising her right to free expression.<\/p>\n<p>Although R\u00e4s\u00e4nen \u200bwas fully acquitted in 2022, the Finnish legal \u2064system allows\u2064 for double jeopardy, enabling the prosecution to appeal the verdict.\u200d She will be back in court on August 31st, facing charges that could result in hefty fines and even a two<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-please-pardon-jon-woods-a-victim-of-process-crimes-like-michael-flynn\/\" title=\"President Trump, Please Pardon Jon Woods, a Victim of Process Crimes Like Michael Flynn\">-year prison sentence<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>The Importance\u200b of\u200c Free Speech<\/h2>\n<p>Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of a free \u200csociety\u200b and a\u2064 fundamental right guaranteed by major human rights treaties. Without it, all our other rights are at risk. We are witnessing a dangerous global \u2062trend of criminalizing \u2064free expression. In a world where censorship is on the rise, it is\u200c crucial to protect everyone&#8217;s right \u2063to speak freely, regardless of whether we agree with\u200b their views or not.<\/p>\n<p>Cort\u00e9s, Quadri, and R\u00e4s\u00e4nen all share the peaceful expression of their convictions. They have all experienced\u2062 the full force\u2062 of the\u200c law for \u2063daring to speak out on\u200b an &#8220;unwelcome&#8221; topic. No one \u2063should be\u200d punished or face criminal charges simply for\u200c sharing their beliefs. State-backed \u200dcensorship blurs the line\u200c between dictatorships and democracies, leaving us all to wonder when it will\u200d happen to us.<\/p>\n<p><em>Elyssa Koren is an international \u2063human rights lawyer and\u200d director of legal communications for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adfinternational.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ADF\u2064 International<\/a>, which is supporting the legal defense of Cort\u00e9s,\u2062 Quadri, and R\u00e4s\u00e4nen.\u2063 Follow her on Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elyssa_koren?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@Elyssa_Koren<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The views expressed \u200bin \u200dthis piece are those of the author\u2062 and do not\u200b necessarily represent those of The Daily\u200c Wire.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elon Musk, known for covering expenses of those facing professional setbacks due to their Twitter activity, should extend his support to individuals facing criminal charges from the government for similar reasons. Recent events have highlighted the oppressive nature of Twitter-related prosecutions, emphasizing the need for Musk&#8217;s attention in this matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1555,"featured_media":1997726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1997725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1555"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1997725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1997726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1997725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1997725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1997725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}