Model Training Materials: Hate Speech, Defamation and National Security Introduction1 These Model Training Materials: Hate Speech, Defamation and National Security are designed as a resource for professional networks of media lawyers, freedom of expression organisations and other groups which are working to build the capacity of lawyers to defend media freedom and freedom of expression. The materials provide a template for a workshop on these three complex restrictions on freedom of expression under international human rights law. They include: • A Background Reading document which can be distributed to participants. • A set of exercises which can be done during a workshop or a training. • Sample discussion questions, again for a workshop or training. • Sample agendas for a 1.5 hour or one-half-day workshop based on these training materials. These Model Training Materials have been developed as part of an ongoing project by the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) to foster the formation of national media lawyers’ networks, supported by UNESCO’s Global Media Defence Fund. To learn more about this project and to access additional resources, see https://www.lawdemocracy.org/live/projects/media-lawyers-networks/. Background Reading This Background Reading addresses three complex and frequently applied areas of restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, namely hate speech, defamation and national security. All three of these areas of restriction are derived from valid and important reasons for limiting freedom of expression, but they are also very often misapplied or abused in a manner which is harmful to the right to freedom of expression. The Background Reading discusses the standards developed under international human rights law on these three areas, with a particular focus on standards under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).2 This Background Reading presumes at least an introductory knowledge of freedom of expression principles under international law, in particular the three-part test under the ICCPR for any restriction on freedom of expression. If you are not familiar with this concept, you can learn more about it in CLD’s introductory training materials on freedom of This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Licence. You are free to copy, distribute and display this work and to make derivative works, provided you give credit to Centre for Law and Democracy, do not use this work for commercial purposes and distribute any works derived from this publication under a licence identical to this one. To view a copy of this licence, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/. 2 UN General Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI), 16 December 1966, in force 23 March 1976. 1 The Centre for Law and Democracy is a non-profit human rights organisation working internationally to provide legal expertise on foundational rights for democracy. 1