Körero Whakamauähara : Hate Speech
In addition to the terms referred to in the Rabat
Plan, the organisation which developed the Camden
Principles (a United Kingdom based NGO called Article
19), proposes the following key definitions:81
(a) Legality: It must be provided by law, which is
clear and accessible to everyone, with procedural
safeguards, especially those guaranteed by
independent courts or tribunals (principles of
predictability and transparency); and
(a) ‘Discrimination’ shall be understood as any
distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based
on race, gender, ethnicity, religion or belief, disability,
age, sexual orientation, language political or
other opinion, national or social origin, nationality,
property, birth or other status, colour which has
the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the
recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal
footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms
in the political, economic, social, cultural or any
other field of public life.
(b) Legitimacy: It must pursue one of the purposes set
out in article 19, paragraph 3, of the Covenant,
namely (i) to protect the rights or reputations of
others, or (ii) to protect national security or of
public order, or public health or morals (principles of
legitimacy); and
(b) ‘Violence’ shall be understood as the intentional use
of physical force or power against another person,
or against a group or community that either results
in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury,
death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or
deprivation.
(c) ‘Hostility’ shall be understood as a manifested
action of an extreme state of mind. Although the
term implies a state of mind, an action is required.
Hence, hostility can be defined as the manifestation
of hatred – that is the manifestation of “intense
and irrational emotions of opprobrium enmity and
detestation towards the target group”.
The Special Rapporteur, Frank La Rue, in 2011 stated
that any limitation to the right of freedom of expression
must pass the following three-part, cumulative test:82
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(c) Necessity and proportionality: It must be proven as
necessary and the least restrictive means required
to achieve the purported aim (principles of necessity
and proportionality).
In 2019, Special Rapporteur, David Kaye, reiterated and
expanded upon this three-part test.83
The 2011 report lists legitimate types of information
which may be restricted. This includes hate speech (in
order to protect the rights of affected communities),
and advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred
that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility
or violence (to protect the rights of others, such as the
right to life).84 In terms of the latter, restrictions must
be formulated in a way that makes clear that the sole
purpose is to protect individuals and communities
belonging to ethnic, national or religious groups,
holding specific beliefs or opinions, whether of a
religious or other nature, from hostility, discrimination
or violence, rather than to protect belief systems,
religions or institutions as such from criticism.85
Article 19, Prohibiting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence: December 2012 Policy Brief, (article 19, London, 2012), at 19. These
definitions were adapted from the definition of discrimination advanced by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the definition of violence by the World Health
Organisation in the 2002 report World Report on Violence and Health.
Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression,
Frank La Rue, U.N. Doc A/HRC/17/27 (16 May 2011) at [24].
United Nations General Assembly Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the freedom of opinion and expression
UN Doc A/74/486 (9 October 2019) at [6].
Ibid., at [25]. The issue of hate speech has also been addressed in previous reports, see inter alia, UN Documents: E/CN.4/1999/64; E/
CN.4/2000/63; E/CN.4/2002/75; and A/HRC/4/27.
Human Rights Council, Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human rights: Report of the United nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights on the expert workshops on the prohibition of incitement to national, racial or religious hatred, U.N. Doc A/
HRC/22/17/Add.4 (Jan. 11, 2013) at [11].
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