Hate Speech Project

The Hate Speech project evolved out of Professor John Cerone’s work with international criminal Tribunals. In 2001, Professor Cerone was asked by Navi Pillay, then president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, to advise the Tribunal on the whether and to what extent the freedom of expression imposed constraints on hate speech prosecutions.

Since that time, the project has expanded globally to include advising national governments on this issue. For example, in 2008, the Center was asked by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to analyze Kenya’s draft hate speech legislation for compliance with international human rights law.

Most recently, the Center has begun advising Members of the UN Human Rights Council on the issue of freedom of expression in the context of attempts to criminalize defamation of religion. For an example of Professor Cerone’s recent work on the issue see his law journal article, Inappropriate Renderings.