United Nations Human Rights Committee comment on Freedoms of Opinion and Expression

In a mailing to the Network of Concerned Historians, Antoon de Baets wrote, “On 21 July 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Committee published its long-awaited General Comment No. 34 (Article 19: Freedoms of Opinion and Expression).  This is the single most authoritative comment worldwide on Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights since the latter was approved in 1966.”  He calls specific attention to Paragraph 49, which says, “Laws that penalise the expression of opinions about historical facts are incompatible with the obligations that the Covenant imposes on States parties in relation to the respect for freedom of opinion and expression.”

See document attached below.

Source: International Council on Archives Human Rights Working Group Newsletter 2011-08

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