Basic principles of freedom of speech and press in the light of the European Convention on Human Rights

Freedom of views expression is defined in the French Declaration of Human and Citizen Rights in 1789 as one of the most precious of human rights, and today is considered as a fundamental and integral part of the democratic society. Guarantees of protection of freedom are presented in almost all major contemporary international legal instruments for the protection of human rights at universal and regional levels, in particular, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights of 1969, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights of 1981, the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950.

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