RESOLUTION 553 (1973)[1]
on violations of freedom of expression
The Assembly,
1. Considering that freedom of expression constitutes one of the
splendours and servitudes of any democracy worthy of the name ;
2. Reasserting the right of artists and writers to express their views
on the evolution of the society in which they live, even if their opinions are
critical of the existing system ;
3. Deploring the persecutions of which intellectuals and artists are
victim in several European countries, and condemning all violations of the
freedom of expression now perpetrated in Europe and other continents ;
4. Keenly regretting that at a time when a desire for a more open
approach in international relations was becoming evident in the East, and
particularly in the Soviet Union, severe measures were taken for the political
control of cultural activities ;
5. Noting that this evolution leads to the growing isolation and
regimentation of Soviet culture by comparison with the outside world and that
it is in danger of compromising progress in respect of one of the major
objectives of the CSCE : the free movement of persons and ideas ;
6. Recalling that, in its Recommendation 521, it advocated in 1968 "an
overall multilateral policy aimed at restoring the cultural unity of all
Europe",
7. Holds that this aim cannot be achieved as long as freedom of
expression is not guaranteed in all European countries in accordance with the
spirit of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms.
[1]. Assembly debate on 28 September 1973 (14th
and 15th Sittings) (see Doc. 3329, report of the Committee on Culture and
Education).
Text adopted by the Assembly on 28 September 1973 (15th
Sitting).
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