By Matthias Samuel
The time of wars and monarchs has ended but still in some places there is no freedom of speech. There are still voices that are never heard, voices that are suppressed by the pressure of the so called society’s set rule and patterns. Still we divide ourselves because of race, creed, color and religion. Freedom of speech means to articulate opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression but some people just won’t understand that. It is a fundamental human right.
Pakistan stands at 142nd place on press freedom index
Following is a short list of a couple of countries and their position on the 2019 World Press Freedom Index;
2019 World Press Freedom Index:
1.🇳🇴NOR
2.🇫🇮FIN
3.🇸🇪SWE
4.🇳🇱NED
5.🇩🇰DEN
6.🇨🇭SUI
7.🇳🇿NZL
8.🇯🇲JAM
9.🇧🇪BEL
10.🇨🇷CRC13.🇩🇪GER
18.🇨🇦CAN
32.🇫🇷FRA
33.🇬🇧GBR
48.🇺🇸USA
105.🇧🇷BRA
120.🇳🇬NGR
123.🇲🇾MAS
129.🇨🇴COL
133.🇦🇪UAE
140.🇮🇳IND
142.🇵🇰PAK
149.🇷🇺RUS
157.🇹🇷TUR
172.🇸🇦KSA
177.🇨🇳CHI(RSF)
— World Index (@theworldindex) July 4, 2019
Finland
Finland is on top of the list freedom of speech, religion, association, and assembly as upheld in law and in practice. Individuals are guaranteed basic rights under the constitution, by legislative acts, and in treaties relating to human rights ratified by the Finnish government. The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary. The best thing is that they act upon this and they know what their laws are. It’s not just about laws it’s about the people who live there, who make up the society. It is worth noticing that a nation is made by the kind of society it has.
United Kingdom
UK stands on the 16th place on the freedom index. In UK public bodies (like courts, police, and local authorities) and other bodies carrying out public functions are required to respect and protect the human rights. If your human rights have been breached, you can take your case to a British court rather than seeking justice from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France because it puts the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into domestic British law.
Pakistan
As for our beloved country in on the 142nd position on the freedom index. It is quite a shame to see that, Articles 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees freedom of speech and expression, and freedom of the press but we don’t even follow a single one. Pakistan ranks among the 20 worst countries on internet freedom. We just cannot say and write certain things or cannot even talk about certain truths and sad realities of those institutions. We say that we have the most perfect society, powerful military and we clam to be the most religious people on the planet. The mind set of our society is still stuck in the 80s, our government works in their own interests. These are the sad realities which everyone knows about but just won’t agree.
