This goes out to all the intolerant muslims and others that are afraid of any debate or (god forbid!) negative comments, and as a result, either disable comments or block people who have opposing viewpoints.

Freedom of speech is being able to speak freely without censorship. The right to freedom of speech is recognised as human right in under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognised in international human rights law under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR recognises the right to freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression". Furthermore freedom of speech is recognised in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights which establishes human rights law on a regional level.
Freedom of speech, or the Freedom of expression is recognised in international and regional human rights law. The right is enshrined in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights, and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. Based on John Stuart Mill arguments, freedom of speech today is understood as a multi-faceted right that includes not only the right to express, or disseminate, information and ideas, but three further distinct aspects:

* The right to seek information and ideas;
* the right to receive information and ideas;
* the right to impart information and ideas.

International, regional and national standards also recognise that freedom of speech, as the freedom of expression, includes any medium, be it orally, in written, in print, through the Internet or through art forms. This means that the protection of freedom of speech as a right includes not only the content, but also the means of expression. This is particularly important for media or press, which plays a special role as the bearer of the general right to freedom of expression for all.