Freedom of Speech and Information in Global Perspective

1. Introductory Overview of the Subject 2. First Notes 3. State of Freedom of Speech in the World - Freedom of speech indices - Developments in some countries- Dark clouds over the flow of information - Free speech - in the core of judicial development - How to monitor development? 4. From the Origins of Freedom of Speech to Modern Information Society - First steps of free speech in the antique - The idea of free speech during the age of European enlightenment - The first Freedom of the Press Act - Free speech as a fundamental and human right - In search of the reality of free speech 5. Freedom of Speech in Books and in Action - Development of Freedom of Speech in Finland - Free speech in other Nordic countries - Foundations of free speech elsewhere in Europe - No free speech in Russia? - How is free speech in North America? - Is free speech a utopian idea in Latin America? - Searching for freedom of speech on the African continent - Freedom of speech under pressure by the Asian great powers - Along the Silk Road in Central Asia - Light and shadows in the Southeast Asian countries - Australia, the final destination of our world tour - Theory and reality 6. Human Rights Obligations - From Ideas to Reality? - The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)- How does the European Union (EU) protect freedom of speech? - Freedom of speech in the United Nations (UN) treaties - Freedom of speech and other organisations for international cooperation 7. Violations and Threat Scenarios - Extremes - terrorism and oppression of media - Different ways to restrict media - The conflict between security interests and information leaks - Corruption decays trust and free speech - New dark clouds rising 8. Freedom of Speech in the Swirls of the Changing World - Globalisation - Digital era and social media shaping the world - The Arab Spring - disruption or development in Egypt? - Challenges of rule of law in the digital era - The role of media in a radically changing environment? 9.

Pekka Hallberg (LL.D. and D. Soc. Sc.) is Emeritus President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland (1993-2012). Prior to this function, he has performed law-drafting duties at the Ministry of Justice, worked as a researcher and judge as well as a Professor of Administrative law at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He is the author of numerous titles in the fields of constitutional law, legal remedies, municipal law and environmental law.


Janne Virkkunen has worked at Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Finland, from 1971 and has been the Senior Editor-in Chief from 1991 to 2010. He has actively been working for freedom of speech at the International Press Institute since the late 1980s. His book about his career at Helsingin Sanomat, Päivälehden mies, was published in 2013.