Swedish Freedom of the Press Act
Tryckfrihetsförordningen | |
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Constitution of Sweden Monarchy of Sweden |
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The Freedom of the Press Act (
History
Freedom of the Press Act of 1766 and the Age of Liberty
Following the death of
In 1765 the Swedish government initiated a comprehensive revision of the constitution. The Ostrobothnian priest Anders Chydenius was a driving force and author behind one of the three pleas for freedom of the press submitted to parliament.[3] In his writing, he concludes:
No evidence should be needed that a certain freedom of writing and printing is one of the strongest bulwarks of a free organization of the state, as, without it, the estates would not have sufficient information for the drafting of good laws, and those dispensing justice would not be monitored, nor would the subjects know the requirements of the law, the limits of the rights of government, and their responsibilities. Education and ethical conduct would be crushed; coarseness in thought, speech, and manners would prevail, and dimness would darken the entire sky of our freedom in a few years.
Under the leadership of the Anders Chydenius, the Caps at the Swedish Riksdag in Gävle on 2 December 1766, passed the adoption of a freedom of the press regulation that stopped censorship and introduced the principle of public access to official records in the Swedish authority. Excluded were defamatory of the king's majesty and the Swedish Church.
King Gustav III revisions
At the time of
Freedom of the Press Act of 1949
In 1949 the law was revised, but its main principles are still the same as in 1766.[2]
References
- ^ Riksdagsförvaltningen. "The Constitution". www.riksdagen.se. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "Freedom of the Press Act of 1766 | Swedish legislation". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ a b "20 milestones of Swedish press freedom | Official site of Sweden". sweden.se. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ "Gustav III | king of Sweden". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 28 November 2019.