Limits on freedom of speech: how much is too much?

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"If you believe in freedom of speech, you believe in freedom of speech for views you don't like. Stalin and Hitler, for example, were dictators in favor of freedom of speech for views they liked only. If you're in favor of freedom of speech, that means you're in favor of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise."

-Noam Chomsky

Although

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Yeah.

I've been very confused about the status of The Press & Publication Law since I posted this, which is why I went back and put back the notes in red this morning. I kept reading that the emir declared freedom of the press in 1995, but I couldn't find any record that the 1979 law was repealed or amended. A coworker reminded me this morning that this is because it never HAS been repealed or amended, which is precisely what Robert Menard objected to before leaving the Doha Centre for Media Freedom. So really, the emir did just go "Hey guys, you're free now!" but without actually rescinding the law that makes it illegal to... well, among other things, to criticize the fact that he didn't rescind the law. :-)

Having read this law, I now have a better understanding of why The Peninsula reports inane things like "a large construction firm was blacklisted for mistreating workers" or "a popular restaurant was closed for health violations" without EVER naming the guilty parties. It makes a little more sense now I realize the reporter could be jailed for saying such a thing, even if it's true. WTF?