Counter-Terrorism Laws and Freedom of Expression

Reviews / Votes

An impressive contribution to the comparative and multi-disciplinary study of counter-terrorism and its effects. This book examines a broad range of jurisdictions from throughout the globe and drills down on how growing counter-terrorism laws too often shrink the space available for free expression. -- Kent Roach, University of Toronto The global reach of the critiques and analyses in Counter-Terrorism Laws and Freedom of Expression make this book a crucial new tool for the interrogation of dangerous threats to free speech worldwide. Tewodros Workneh and Paul Haridakis seamlessly weave representative studies from a diverse array of experts and locales to show that, no matter the system, all governments seek the cover of terrorism to rationalize self-interested censorship. A primary - and sobering - text across disciplines, from political science to international studies to journalism and beyond. -- Peter Laufer, University of Oregon The main contribution of this book is the reflection on the ways democratic and non-democratic states deals with the threat of external and internal terrorism using counter-terrorism as their legal machinery. The book sheds light on a wide spectrum of the risks counter-terrorism poses to democratic values such as freedom of expression by showing the difficulties to maintain this right in times of combating terrorism. The book indicates strongly what happens when states are using anti-terrorism acts without strong judicial review by the courts. Without due balances between the needs of security and preservation of freedom of expression we are depriving our citizens from having a fair report about security operations and the risks involved in the lives of media personnel. -- Emanuel Gross, University of Haifa