Dec 15, 2009

Sponsor: CIMA

Hate Speech in Divided Societies: Should it be Regulated?

Hate speech in fragile democracies and divided societies can have catastrophic consequences.

• In Kenya, an outbreak of violence after the December 2007 elections left at least 1,000 people dead in six months. Malicious propaganda was spread via SMS, blog posts, and local language radio.
• In Russia, laws designed to contain the use of hate language are being manipulated by the government, which has twisted them to target nongovernmental organizations and individuals critical of the regime.
• In Serbia and Bosnia, negative portrayals of minorities are increasing tensions and rivalries among groups.
• In Afghanistan, warlords own a considerable number of media outlets which they manipulate and use against their opponents.

In all cases, media have been used as a tool to spark intimidation and violence. What are the effects of legal measures taken to regulate hate speech in these regions? Can legislation to prohibit hate speech also threaten the foundations of democracy by limiting freedom of expression? Are there alternative approaches to address the problem of hate speech? What broader lessons can the media development community learn from these case studies?

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