http://assembly.coe.int Resolution 2381 (2021)1 Provisional version Should politicians be prosecuted for statements made in the exercise of their mandate? Parliamentary Assembly 1. The Parliamentary Assembly stresses the crucial importance, in a living...
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http://assembly.coe.int Resolution 2381 (2021)1 Provisional version Should politicians be prosecuted for statements made in the exercise of their mandate? Parliamentary Assembly 1. The Parliamentary Assembly stresses the crucial importance, in a living democracy, of politicians being able to freely exercise their mandates. This requires a particularly high level of protection of politicians’ freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, both in parliament and when speaking to their constituents in public meetings or through the media, including social media. 2. The European Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 5, “the Convention”) protects everyone’s freedom of speech, including the right to make statements that “shock or disturb” those who do not share the same opinions, as established in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (“the Court”). 3. The Assembly also notes that freedom of speech is not unlimited and should be enforced while ensuring full respect of the rule of law.
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