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Timestamp: 2019-04-22 08:25:32+00:00

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1The Bill of Rights is the name by which the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known. They were introduced by James Madison to the First United States Congress in 1789 as a series of legislative articles, and came into effect as Constitutional Amendments on December 15, 1791, when they had been ratified by three-fourths of the States.
4.The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976.
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship6 or limitation, or both. The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR recognizes the right to freedom of speech as “the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression”. Further more freedom of speech is recognized in European, inter-American and African regional human rights law. It is different from and not to be confused with the concept of freedom of thought.
6. Censorship is the suppression of speech or other communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the general body of people as determined by a government, media outlet, or other controlling body.
7. The Bill of Rights (a short title) is an act of the Parliament of England, whose title is An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown. It is often called the English Bill of Rights.
In a country with a state religion, freedom of religion is generally considered to mean that the government permits religious practices of other sects besides the state religion, and does not persecute believers in other faiths. For a current overview, see section Contemporary situation of religious freedom in the world.
Historically freedom of religion has been used to refer to the tolerance of different theological systems of belief, while freedom of thought was defined as freedom of individual action. Each of these has existed to varying degrees. While many countries have accepted some form of religious freedom, this has also often been limited in practice through punitive taxation, repressive social legislation, and political disenfranchisement. Compare examples of individual freedom in Italy or the Muslim tradition of dhimmis9, literally “protected individuals” professing an officially tolerated non-Muslim religion.
8.ECHR, Handyside v. the United Kingdom, 1976; ECHR, Sunday Times v. the United Kingdom, 1979; ECHR, Lingens v. Austria, 1986; ECHR, Oberschlick v. Austria, 1991; ECHR, Thorgeir Thorgeirson v. Iceland, 1992; ECHR, Jersild v. Denmark, 1994;ECHR, Goodwin v. the United Kingdom, 1996; ECHR, De Haes and Gijsels v. Belgium, 1997; ECHR, Dalban v. Romania,1999; ECHR, Arslan v. Turkey, 1999; EHCR, Thoma v. Luxembourg, 2001; ECHR, Jerusalem v. Austria, 2001; ECHR, Maronek v. Slovakia, 2001; ECHR, Dichand and Others v. Austria, 2002.
9.dhimmi, is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance with sharia law. The dhimma is a theoretical contract based on a widely held Islamic doctrine granting special status to Jewish, Christian, and other non-Muslim subjects.
– All persons have the right to freedom of thought and speech related to their sexual and reproductive lives.
– All persons have the right to protection against restrictions on grounds of thought, conscience and religion to their access to education and information related to their sexual and reproductive health.
– Health care professionals have the right to conscientious objection with regard to providing contraception and abortion services only if they can refer the client to health professionals willing to provide the service immediately. No such right exists in emergency cases where lives are at risk.
– All persons have the right to be free from the restrictive interpretation of religious texts, beliefs, philosophies and customs as tools to curtail freedom of thought on sexual and reproductive health care and other issues.
The basic structure of the Constitution” is an imprecise and elastic concept. There was no unanimity among the Judges regarding the components of the basic structure of the Constitution .Article 39 of the Bangladesh Constitution has provided freedom of thought, and conscience, and of speech. Article 39(1) has guaranteed freedom of thought and conscience in absolute language as state or any other authority cannot impose any restriction on any citizen the way she/he thinks. The state cannot make any law curbing thought and conscience of citizens, it cannot pass any instruction to which line the citizens should direct their thinking. Thought and conscience is the inherent attribute of human being and it is a continuous process through which human personality sprouts. So the Constitution very correctly recognizes this indispensable right of every citizen and keeps this right beyond any restriction.
Freedom of press, an offshoot of freedom of thought, conscience and speech, has become instrumental for establishing a democratic state where fairness, transparency and free expression constitute skeleton of that polity. Every segment of the above right is very important as freedom of thought and conscience is essential for developing human personality, knowledge and civilization. Freedom of speech and expression including freedom of press is the very foundation of democracy. Without ensuring free expression, criticism and open discussion democracy cannot function smoothly. But this freedom, like other rights, is not unfettered as it has been given to the citizens subject to a number of conditions including the right of the persons to remain unsoiled by the press reports. Freedom of press is important but right to reputation is also important, as it is the most dearly valued property and attribute of a citizen. So law has to accomplish the delicate task of maintaining a balance between two very important but conflicting rights.
Freedom of thought and conscience, and of speech is the reflection of people’s wishes and desires .The government should think very carefully before making any fundamental changes in it. However, the discussion and concern on the point is important. The propriety of freedom of thought, conscience and of speech can be determined by the fact that how efficaciously it can regulate the behavior of different segments of society. But sometimes law has to maintain a middle course to keep balance between different rights if they collide with each other, but not at the expense of justice. All the rights and provisions should be given effect to by the courts by harmonious interpretation if necessary. The Constitution guarantees rights of freedom of thought, conscience and of speech to the citizens and different professional groups, but limits the enjoyment of rights by security of states, welfare of society and rights of others. A check and balance system has been provided by the Constitution, now state machinery should ensure smooth exercise of citizens’ rights. At the same time judiciary, civil society and press should be cautious so that none can be harassed by manipulating state apparatus and citizens’ rights remain protected.
"Freedom Of Thought Conscience And Speech." LawTeacher.net. 11 2013. All Answers Ltd. 04 2019 <https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/constitutional-law/freedom-of-thought-conscience-and-speech-constitutional-law-essay.php?vref=1>.
"Freedom Of Thought Conscience And Speech." LawTeacher. LawTeacher.net, November 2013. Web. 22 April 2019. <https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/constitutional-law/freedom-of-thought-conscience-and-speech-constitutional-law-essay.php?vref=1>.
LawTeacher. November 2013. Freedom Of Thought Conscience And Speech. [online]. Available from: https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/constitutional-law/freedom-of-thought-conscience-and-speech-constitutional-law-essay.php?vref=1 [Accessed 22 April 2019].
LawTeacher. Freedom Of Thought Conscience And Speech [Internet]. November 2013. [Accessed 22 April 2019]; Available from: https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/constitutional-law/freedom-of-thought-conscience-and-speech-constitutional-law-essay.php?vref=1.

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