Freedom of expression of journalists in Latvia and Europe

Freedom of expression - one of the most fundamental rights of a democratic society, is an indispensable part of the daily work of journalists, whose duty is to analyze issues of public concern. Therefore, restrictions of this important right should adhere to certain standards set by the European Convention on Human Rights and the Strasbourg Court. In particular, these restrictions should be prescribed by unambiguous and clear law. As regards the press, the restrictions should be interpreted narrowly and, if imposed, their necessity should be established convincingly. Although the practice of the European Human Rights Court and the national courts of the Republic of Latvia cannot be compared, Latvia has undertaken to observe the decisions of the Strasbourg Court ipso facto. In practice, however, references and examination of these cases appear in the decisions of the national courts very rarely. The outcome of the cases relating to freedom of expression is very controversial, decisions of the county courts due to procedural and other violations are usually sent back for re-examination. The book examines how this important freedom is dealt with in Europe and Latvia.