Suchergebnisse

Dr. Wolfgang Brandstetter, Federal Minister of Justice of the Republic of Austria, offered an overview of European law and attitudes regarding the limits of free speech in the wake of attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed a dozen people in Paris. His Feb. 3 remarks explained how member states of the European Union (EU) are bound by the conventions of its Court of Human Rights. In 2008, the Court laid out the framework for speech that is punishable by a prison term. Broadly speaking, the criteria includes demonstrated xenophobia, or speech that disparages or intimidates along the lines of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, language, or color. A summary of the event is available here.

The Interdisciplinary Program in Law and Religion and the Comparative and International Law Institute co-sponsored a lecture titled, "Criminal Law Reform: Ethical and Legal Changes in Austrian Society." In light of the recent terrorist activities in the European Union, the Austrian government has focused on hate speech legislation and hate crimes. Dr. Christian Pilnacek, Director General for Criminal Matters in the Federal Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Austria discussed recent Austrian legislation that criminalized hate speech that has a likelilhood of inciting violence. Following Pilnacek's presentation, Dr. Wolfgang Brandstetter, Federal Minister of Justice of the Republic of Austria, discussed how the Austrian government is reforming the penal law system. A summary of the event is available here.