First Principles on Human Rights: Freedom of Speech
Two requests were recently received for legal assistance. One was from a lawyer in an Islamic-majority nation. His client was being prosecuted for allegedly defaming the prophet of Islam, Mohammed. He has subsequently been sentenced to death. The second was from a lawyer in Canada. A street preacher had been arrested for quoting perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible—John 3:16—which speaks of God’s love for the whole world. He dared to say these words at a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) outdoor event—and now faces criminal penalties.