Freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Denmark

Freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Denmark

In Denmark the freedom of speech and freedom of the press are ensured by § 77 of the constitution [http://www.retsinfo.dk/_GETDOCI_/ACCN/A19530016930-REGL] ::"Anyone is entitled to in print, writing and speech to publish his or hers thoughts, yet under responsibility to the courts. Censorship and other preventive measures can never again be introduced."

The phrase "under responsibility to the courts" provides the main concept of the freedom: the constitution grants you the freedom to say whatever you please, but does not protect you from being punished for doing so.Tradition by the court is that the boundaries for what is deemed inappropriate are wider for the press or in a political debate than for civil citizens.

The major punishable acts are libel, blasphemy and racism, which are restricted by the Danish penal code. Like most other countries, Denmark also forbids publishing copyright-protected material without permission and revealing trade secrets in the civil law.

In 2005, Denmark got a joint first place in Reporters Without Borders Worldwide press freedom index [http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=554] .

Libel

The provision against libel is set down in § 267 of the penal code::"Anybody who offends another person's honor by insulting words or actions or by stating or disseminating charges, that are suitable for reducing the insulted person in the esteem of fellow citizens, will be punished by fine or ordinary imprisonment."

Blasphemy

Blasphemy is forbidden by § 140 of the penal code::"Anybody who publicly mocks or insults any in this country legally existing religious community tenets of faith or worship, will be punished by fine or imprisonment for up to 4 months."

However, there is very little legal tradition for actually punishing anyone for violating this article. The latest conviction was in 1938 in a case of flyers that construed Jewish holy texts as urging 'violating' non-Jewish girls. Legal tradition seems to establish that debate and art are not punishable under the blasphemy-article Fact|date=February 2007.

Racism

The rules against racism are set down in § 266b of the Danish penal code.

:"Whoever publicly, or with intention to disseminating in a larger circle makes statements or other pronouncement, by which a group of persons is threatened, derided or degraded because of their race, colour of skin, national or ethnic background, faith or sexual orientation, will be punished by fine or imprisonment for up to 2 years.":"Sec. 2. When meting out the punishment it shall be considered an especially aggravating circumstance, if the count has the character of propaganda."

External links

* [http://www.themis.dk/synopsis/index.asp?hovedramme=/synopsis/docs/lovsamling/straffeloven_indholdsfortegnelse.html Danish Penal Code] in Danish.
* [http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/195/ Freedom of expression in Denmark] - IFEX


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Freedom of the press — The freedom of the press redirects here. For George Orwell s preface, see Animal Farm# The Freedom of the Press . For the report by Freedom House, see Freedom of the Press (report). Journalism News  …   Wikipedia

  • Freedom of the press in the Russian Federation — 2009 RWB press freedom rankings   Free …   Wikipedia

  • Denmark — /den mahrk/, n. a kingdom in N Europe, on the Jutland peninsula and adjacent islands. 5,268,775; 16,576 sq. mi. (42,930 sq. km). Cap.: Copenhagen. * * * Denmark Introduction Denmark Background: Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major… …   Universalium

  • Freedom of speech by country — Freedom of speech is the concept of the inherent human right to voice one s opinion publicly without fear of censorship or punishment. Speech is not limited to public speaking and is generally taken to include other forms of expression. The right …   Wikipedia

  • Freedom of information legislation — Freedom of Information Act redirects here. For other uses, see FOIA (disambiguation). Freedom of information legislation comprises laws that guarantee access to data held by the state. They establish a right to know legal process by which… …   Wikipedia

  • The Citadel (military college) — The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, is a state supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. The Citadel is one of the six senior military colleges. The Citadel has 14 academic departments divided… …   Wikipedia

  • The Irish (in Countries Other Than Ireland) —     The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     I. IN THE UNITED STATES     Who were the first Irish to land on the American continent and the time of their arrival are …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Press support — is a Norwegian state subsidy available for newspapers. The subsidy is twofold; the fist part is a direct subsidy of all second largest newspapers in cities, after circulation. The other subsidy is that newspaper are subject to no sales tax (as… …   Wikipedia

  • The Jewel of Medina — Infobox Book name = The Jewel of Medina image caption = Cover for the planned Ballantine release of The Jewel of Medina author = Sherry Jones cover artist = country = United States of America language = English series = subject = genre =… …   Wikipedia

  • THE EVENTS — introduction European Jewry in the Early 1930s Germany in the Early 1930s the expansion of the reich …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”