The Hrant Dink Foundation is organizing two conferences on “Hate Speech” in the scope of the project entitled “Media Watch and Hate Speech” in 21 and 22 March 2012.
The topics that will be discussed in the conference are: “The boundary between freedom of expression and hate speech”, “The tensions between freedom of expression and prohibitions on hate speech”, “The relationship between hate speech and hate crimes”, “The role media and national human rights institutions may play in the promotion of intercultural understanding“.
The first conference will be held in Bilgi University on the 21st of March between 18:00 ? 20:15 and the second one will be held in Kadir Has University on the 22nd of March between 14.00 – 16.15.
The conference that will take place in Bilgi University will also be broadcast online from the foundation website (www.hrantdink.org) in Turkish.
Speakers:
Dr. Sejal Parmar
Sejal Parmar is Senior Legal Officer at ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression, and Visiting Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London where she is Course Convener for the LLM course in International Human Rights Law.
On behalf of ARTICLE 19, she has written numerous position statements, submissions, legal analyses and amicus briefs and delivered oral presentations and trainings to a broad range of intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental audiences around the world. She leads the organisation?s legal and policy work at the UN human rights bodies, notably the Human Rights Council and the Human Rights Committee, and has also presented at meetings of EU, the Council of Europe and the OSCE. Her work focuses on the relationship between freedom of expression and the right to information, on the one hand, and other human rights and interests, on the other. She leads ARTICLE 19?s work on issues concerning freedom of expression, freedom of religion and equality, including laws on ?defamation of religions? and blasphemy and the scope of Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. She has written policy papers on a diversity of subjects, including climate change and the right to information to bans, bans on the full-face veil and freedom of expression, new media and pluralism and is currently developing a paper on the right to health and the right to information.
Currently a member of the Advisory Council of Advocates for International Development (A4ID), Parmar has provided legal advice on human rights issues to numerous NGOs including CIVICUS, Action Aid, Plan International, the Robert F Kennedy Center for Human Rights and the International Lesbian and Gay Association.
Asst. Prof. Esra Arsan
Asst. Prof. Esra Arsan used to work as a print journalist for more than 10 years for several national newspapers in Istanbul, Turkey, now she teaches journalism at Istanbul Bilgi University.
She is also a well-known media critic in Turkey. Her articles in which she analyses journalism practices in Turkey have been published in many newspapers, magazines, web sites and books.
Arsan holds her Ph.D degree in journalism studies specialising in political journalism. She is a former Reuters Foundation Journalism Fellow of Oxford University, UK. Arsan has three books published: Elections in the Newspapers, European Union and Journalism, and Media Watch.
Mahmut ?ınar
Mahmut ?ınar is an instructor at Bah?eşehir University, Istanbul. His academic research focuses on media and nationalism, emergence of modern Turkey and Turkish national identity, and minority media. He has attended national/international conferences on journalism, media, and cultural studies; participated in and facilitated several workshops on discrimination, diversity, and hate speech. He has also been involved in Council of Europe?s ?Speak out against discrimination campaign? since August 2009 and contributed to campaign?s educational pack for journalism students and professional journalists.
