Tag Archives: 250th anniversary

UNESCO Frank La Rue, OSCE Mijatovic on Freedom of Speech

By Xuefei Chen Axelsson

STOCKHOLM, Nov. 25(Greenpost)–UNESCO Assistant Director -General for Communication and Information Frank La Rue said on November 2, International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. UNESCO sent out a message.

This is an important day not only to commemorate and honor all those who have died in the line of duty, but also to call for justice in cases of violence and harassment against journalists.

Harassment against journalists in any form must be rejected, including arbitrary arrests and verbal intimidation. Ending impunity on all of these acts is the most important step to guarantee the safety of journalists.

To help secure justice for journalists, UNESCO works with judiciaries around the world, to sensitize them about the importance of cases in which journalists are killed. UNESCO also partners with media, governments and civil society gorups to also raise awareness on this issue.

Protecting journalists and guaranteeing a free press is essential for the development of societies and important for every woman and man to exercise their right to access information, their right to participate as citizens in democracy, and to work for the right to development.

Dunja Mijatovic OSCE representative on freedom of media said for 250 years the Swedish Freedom of the Press Act has been a shining example of the importance media freedom and freedom of expression play in the advancement of democracy.

Celebration of 250th anniversary of free press in Sweden

Stockholm, Nov. 25(Greenpost)–Dec. 2 marks the 250th anniversary of free press in Sweden.

It’s 250 years since Sweden established the world’s strongest freedom of the press through a ground-breaking new fundamental law, the Freedom of the Press Act.

Freedom of the press, freedom of expression and opposition to censorship are of course well worth celebrating – and continuing to fight for today!

Human rights are unfortunately now being challenged more and more around the world. The democratic space for defenders of human rights, opinion-formers, journalists and bloggers is tending to shrink. It is incredibly important to stop this trend.

It is easy to be inspired by the founding figure, member of the Riksdag Anders Chydenius, who in 1766 championed this historic fundamental law in Sweden, which in fact predates both the United States Declaration of Independence and the French Revolution.

The Freedom of the Press Act was based on principles that were formulated during the Age of Enlightenment in 18th-century Europe. People have intrinsic rights, and the State has a responsibility and an obligation to defend those rights. The purpose of the Act was to strengthen the influence of citizens.

Chydenius sat on the parliamentary committee that prepared the legislative proposal, and his hard work eventually pushed a majority decision through, despite the nobility voting against.

Chydenius was a priest in Gamlakarleby (today called Kokkola), Österbotten, which is now part of Finland. He was an early advocate for free trade, and became famous when he criticised the then prevailing policy of high trade barriers. Some rich people in the big towns and cities became even richer, but life became more difficult for ordinary people, many of whom starved. This was a major problem in remote Österbotten. This is why he was sent to the Riksdag.

There, he argued in the same way for freedom of the press and openness in government administration as he did for free trade. Without these principles, a small power elite in Stockholm holds all the influence and wealth. The periphery will always be brushed aside as long as it does not receive information about what is going on in the corridors of power. State secretiveness benefits a small clique at the expense of the rest of the country.

What made the Freedom of the Press Act so fantastic for its time was the four principles that still today lay the foundation for Sweden’s strong freedom of expression.

  • State censorship was abolished. Previously, all written material required advanced permission prior to publication. It was often difficult to obtain permission if the text was not flattering towards those in power.
  • The principle of public access to official documents was created. The documents of the authorities would no longer be secret, but public. Previously, it was punishable to print and spread state documents. For a long time, even the parliamentary record had been classified as secret.
  • The main principle shifted from prohibited to permitted. Previously, it had been prohibited to print anything without prior special permission. Now, instead, almost everything was permissible until such times as it was prohibited. Every writer was allowed to print and spread their texts until such times as a court found a breach of the law in the publication. All state documents could be read and spread as long as they were not classified as secret.
  • Freedom of the press was guaranteed in a fundamental law. Ordinary laws set boundaries for citizens, but a fundamental law sets boundaries for the State. The State may not breach a fundamental law, even by enacting new legislation, as that legislation would be invalid.

Lars Johan Hierta, pioneer of a free press

STOCKHOLM, Nov. 25(Greenpost)–The statue of Swedish newspaper publisher Lars Johan Hierta watches over Riddarhustorget in Stockholm’s Old Town. 

Lars Johan Hierta founded the evening newspaper Aftonbladet − currently Sweden’s largest newspaper − as early as in1830.

Aftonbladet was not Sweden’s first newspaper but it is now one of the oldest daily newspapers in Sweden. Its predecessors were uncritical and indulgent of King Karl XIV Johan, who ruled with the help of the nobility. One of Hierta’s primary aims was to attack what was referred to as the ‘bedchamber rule’ of the King. This meant that the King had his favourites, who had special access to the royal bedchamber. The most favoured of all, Count Magnus Brahe, was one of Sweden’s most powerful men, despite not having any political position.Ahead of the first edition, he promised that the newspaper would “seek quick information about strange measures within the administration”. For Hierta, it was self-evident that the newspaper would be independent.

This, of course, bothered Lars Johan Hierta, who through his newspaper was fighting for freedom of expression, free trade (including lower import tariffs) and democratic development towards a two-chamber parliament of elected representatives.

Criticism from the ruling classes was devastating. During its first four years, Aftonbladetwas prosecuted five times.

As much as the newspaper was hated by the powers that be, it was loved and lauded in equal measure by the people. In particular, the section called ‘Kaleidoscope’, written in a light-hearted and satirical tone, met with great acclaim. This was the birth of the modern newspaper column. And Wendela Hebbe, Sweden’s first woman journalist to be employed full-time, began at Hierta’s newspaper.

The King eventually tried to close down the paper. But Hierta, who was both clever and prepared, had already issued new publishing authorisations to other publishers. He changed the paper’s name to The new Aftonbladet, The second…, The third… and so forth. When he sold Aftonbladet in 1851, he had changed the name twenty-six times.

So free speech survived, albeit under threat.

As we now celebrate the 250th anniversary of Sweden’s Freedom of the Press Act, regarded as the strongest in the world, we should all send a thought of gratitude to Lars Johan Hierta.

Source: Foreign Policy News

250th anniversary of free speech celebrated in Sweden

Xuefei Chen Axelsson

STOCKHOLM, Nov. 25(Greenpost)–Sweden, a small country located at the northernest corner of the world, was almost the first in the world that guaranteed the free speech and transparency 250 years ago.

Margot Wallström, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs issued 250 words on free speech as saying that free speech and transparency were guaranteed on 2 December 1766, when the Swedish Parliament passed the Freedom of the Press Act, the first legislation of its kind anywhere in the world.

This is an important landmark to celebrate-250 years of media freedom!

The ACT has served Sweden well. Free speech and transparency are prerequisites not only for democracy, but also for innovation, feeding ideas through critique, debate and scrutiny. Transparency is also an important tool in combating corruption.

However, as the 250th anniversary approaches, it is disturbing to see that the fundamental rights and freedoms it sets out to defend are increasingly under threat around the world. In many places, democracy and the rule of law are being underminded, human rights violated and their universal nature denied.

These developments call for redoubled efforts to promote freedom of expression, tansparency and media freedom, including promotion of media literacy and increased support to free and independent media around the world.

In the second half of 2016, the Swedish MFA is running a campaign in defence of freedom of expression where we hope to contribute to the global discussion on this important topic.

Please join us in this important conversation. Let the 250th anniversary become the starting point for a new era of freedom of expression, said Margot Wallström.