What is wrong with hate speech: Reflections on political theory, legal regulations and Turkish case

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2013

Öğrenci: BURCU NUR BİNBUĞA KINIK

Danışman: CEM DEVECİ

Özet:

Hate speech has become common and ordinary in our daily life. We can face expressions based on hate speech in the social media and in the mainstream media; also this kind of expressions can be stated by the politicians. The aim of this study is to discuss theoretical arguments concerning why hate speech is harmful and shouldn’t be evaluated within the boundaries of freedom of expression. Moreover, in this study, it is aimed to present the regulations and conventions concerning limitation of freedom in the case of hate speech at an international level and examine the situation in Turkey about hate speech. In this context, in the first chapter, political theories of John Stuart Mill and Hannah Arendt with respect to the boundaries of freedom of expression and reflections of their theories to the debate on hate speech are discussed. In the second chapter, I try to demonstrate to what extent international human rights norms limit freedom of expression so as to combat hate speech. At this point, international regulations, conventions, organizations and criminal laws of certain countries are examined. In the last chapter, Turkish case in terms of the existing situation about freedom of expression, legal regulations and articles in Turkish Penal Code related with hate speech and Court’s decisions concerning freedom of expression and hate speech are analyzed. In this part, the case of Hrant Dink who was murdered as a result of systematic hate speech was also presented so as to show the relationship between hate speech and hate crime.