Freedom of Expression in the Practice of the Human Rights Committee and the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights

Freedom of expression means that human beings, due to their inherent dignity, have the right to present rational findings arising from this dignity in the form of speech, writing, artwork, commercial advertising, and so on. Freedom of expression violations by states have led individuals to turn to international institutions to enforce their rights after being failed by domestic judicial institutions. Among international bodies, the European Court of Human Rights and the Human Rights Committee, which have jurisdiction over individual complaints, are able to protect individuals against states. The main question of the present paper is how has freedom of expression been reflected in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and the Human Rights Committee? This paper using a descriptive-analytical method and library findings including a review of existing instruments concludes that the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights includes  both limited and expansive protection of freedom of expression. Also in the practice of the Human Rights Committee, sometimes due to insufficient evidence, unfair decisions have been made which do not guarantee freedom of expression in a desirable way.