ENCOURAGE RESPECT, DON'T PROHIBIT DEFAMATION….

At a panel held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 16 September 2010, in conjunction with the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, writers and free-expression advocates from around the world warned of the potential harm of imposing legal restrictions on expression considered offensive or defamatory to religions, arguing that such restrictions not only would do little to foster mutual understanding and respect, but also could easily be used to stifle creative freedom and suppress minority views and religions. "Human rights are attached to individuals, not to states or organized groups or ideas," said International PEN President John Ralston Saul, who chaired a two-hour sessi on entitled Faith and Free Speech: Defamation of Religions and Freedom of Expression. "When governments attempt to limit the rights of citizens, they are not seeking to protect faith or belief. They are seeking increased power over the citizenry."