Freemuse

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FREEMUSE - THE WORLD FORUM ON MUSIC AND CENSORSHIP is an independent international organization advocating freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide. FREEMUSE stands for "FREEdom of MUSical Expression".

FREEMUSE was born of the 1st World Conference on Music and Censorship held in Copenhagen in November 1998. The conference joined together professionals from diverse fields and countries – musicians, journalists, researchers, record industry professionals and human rights activists – to examine, discuss and document a wide variety of abuses, from the apparently benign to the overtly extreme.

The alarmingly widespread nature of censorship in music prompted the conference attendees to initiate the creation of a new organization, FREEMUSE. Its guiding principles, as applied specifically to musicians and composers, are outlined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. The FREEMUSE secretariat was established in August 2000.

FREEMUSE is a membership organization with its secretariat based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It receives core funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

FREEMUSE objectives are to:

• Document violations and discuss their effects on musicians.
• Inform media, human rights organizations and the public.
• Support musicians in need and act as an observer in court cases.
• Develop a global network in support of threatened musicians and composers.

Freedom of expression in music

Music involves an unlimited number of possibilities for human beings to express themselves. Lyrics can bring detailed messages of love, hate, fear, violence, etc. A melody in itself can communicate joy, hope, sorrow, a dramatic event, a special mood or a sound image of everyday life. All of these different expressions fall under the protection of the freedom of expression in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19.

The European Court of Human Rights has interpreted artistic freedom of expression in a broad way. In a judgement from 1988 the Court observed, that "Those who create, perform, distribute or exhibit works of art contribute to the exchange of ideas and opinions which is essential for a democratic society. Hence the obligation on the State not to encroach unduly on their freedom of expression".

For musicians, freedom of expression particularly implies:

• Freedom to play music in public as well as in private
• Freedom to give concerts
• Freedom to release CDs

...regardless of which expressions or points of view may be expressed by the lyrics or music itself.

Therefore, as a point of departure, no censorship can be imposed or subsequent legal steps be taken against musicians because of what they express in their music.

However, there are exceptions:

• Propaganda for war is always unlawful, as is advocacy for national, racial or religious hatred.
• States may also limit freedom of expression if it is necessary for a certain number of other reasons:
• Respect of the reputations of others (defamation),
• Protection of national security, public order, or of public health or morals.

In any case such limitations must be prescribed in a national law.

This for instance implies that a government official cannot on his or her own decide to ban certain types of music from radio or television, if no law proscribes so. And the government is not allowed to pass a law on censorship for instance in order to silence certain religious groups or to combat opponent political opinions, because these are not legal grounds on which freedom of expression can be limited.

Individuals can complain about violations of the freedom of expression to several international human rights bodies such as the UN Human Rights Committe, the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

See also

• International Freedom of Expression Exchange
• Censorship of music

External link

• FREEMUSE website
• Timeline of music censorship world-wide

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