Tools of Oppression...
Lèse-majesté laws and blasphemy laws are just another form of oppression and often indicators of despotic regimes. Hate speech or inciting to violence is one thing. Yet why should criticising a monarch, a god, or his prophets be a crime? We are not only talking here about a rap on the knuckles.
"Protecting" the Monarchy with Lèse-majesté Laws
Penalties for lese-majesty laws in Thailand can be up to 15 years per count, although in practice it can be even more sinister than that. Thailand is no friend to democracy. In January, two exiled critics of the king and the military were found murdered in the Mekong river. Their bodies had been stuffed with concrete, to help them sink. They were 56 year-old Chatcharn Buppawan and 46 year-old Kraidej Luelert. Today, Reuters news agency reported that three Thai citizens have disappeared from Vietnam, for the same reason.
"Defending" God with Blasphemy Laws
Blasphemy laws are even worse. They often incur the death penalty, even when the evidence is dubious, as the case of Asia Bibi, the Christian lady who just fled Pakistan, proves. However, if you think that they are limited to counties with sharia law, think again!
About a quarter of the countries in the world have blasphemy laws. In some, the penalties are mild, such as fines or restrictions. In others, even if they do not result in execution, the penalties can be quite severe. Therer are many such countries, such as Russia and India, where the "crime" could involve lengthy prison sentences. Two members of the Pussy Riot punk group, for instance, spent two years in a Russian prison for their stint in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in 2012. They had been protesting against the Russian Orthodox Church's support for Putin.
The True Insults
Insults are one thing, criticism another. Insults are always in bad taste and they say more about the people making them than the people they are directed to. Reasonable hate speech laws should be able to deal with extreme cases. And I mean extreme. People have the right to be dickheads if they want to (oops, did I just hurl an insult?). Criticism is quite different. Valid or not, it always makes us think and reassess. If gods and kings fear it, it means that their grandeur lacks in evidence. If people fear it on their behalf, it is they who are insulting their king or god.
UN-aligned for a fairer world!
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