Freedom of expression and the risks of disinformation are the focus of the latest workshop of the Parliamentary Law classroom

Freedom of expression, the risks to which it is exposed and the danger of disinformation, focused the discussion of the roundtable of the Parliamentary Lawclassroom organized by the School of Law of the University of Navarra and the Parliament of Navarra, as a result of the partnership agreement between the two institutions. 

With the degree scroll, "Freedom of expression. Current challenges", the roundtable was moderated by the Full Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Navarra and co-director of the classroom of Parliamentary Law, Fernando Simón. 

Ana Azurmendi, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Navarra and professor at the School of Communication, warned of two dangers to which freedom of expression is exposed: on the one hand, the risk of cancellation; and, on the other, the use of freedom of speech as a pretext for offense. Azurmendi stressed the need to preserve spaces for dialogue open to all opinions. "Democracy is weakened when fear or censorship replace the reasoned exchange of arguments," he said. He illustrated his exhibition with several examples of the "silencing effect" generated by attempts at intimidation or exclusion in different international contexts, warning of how such dynamics progressively erode public deliberation.

Rafael Rubio Núñez, Full Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, focused his speech on the risks of disinformation. He warned that this internship not only distorts public discussion , but also undermines public confidence in electoral processes and in democratic institutions themselves. Rubio Núñez also warned about the strategic use of disinformation as a tool of power, both by internal political actors and external interests that seek to influence public opinion or destabilize democratic systems. Without prejudice to these problems, he also wanted to draw attention to the dangers of entrusting institutions with the control of the truth of information. In line with his discussion paper, he described in some detail the electoral annulment carried out in Romania, as well as the condemnation by the Brazilian Supreme Court of several people for promote disinformation.

Finally, the Full Professor of the University of Seville, Abraham Barrero, gave a discussion paper dedicated to freedom of expression within political institutions, with special attention to its manifestation in the parliamentary sphere. Professor Barrero stressed that the free expression of public representatives is an essential pillar of the democratic system, as it guarantees that political discussion can take place without external interference or coercion. The Full Professor also addressed the conflicts that can arise when the exercise of freedom of expression clashes with the disciplinary powers of the chambers. Barrero analyzed different cases in which the application of disciplinary sanctions has generated controversy, inviting reflection on the risks of excessively limiting institutional freedom of expression and on the risk of disciplinary power being used as an instrument of political control.

The workshop was closed by the president of the Parliament, Unai Hualde, who referred to freedom of expression as an "essential" ingredient of democracy and, therefore, of its representative institutions. He spoke of the institutions "as forums for meeting and discussion between different people, always in the general interest and within a logic of respect and courtesy", today increasingly questioned. The highest representative of the Chamber also made reference letter to the need to act when this constitutional prerogative derives in a carte blanche to "attack or provoke hatred, also through the misuse of artificial intelligence".