In Azerbaijan, the offence of defamation (Article 147) can result in a fine of up to “500 times the minimum wage”, public works of up to 240 hours, prison work of up to one year or imprisonment of up to six months. Penalties are increased to a maximum of three years` imprisonment if the victim is falsely accused of having committed a “serious or very serious crime” (Article 147, paragraph 2). The crime of insult (Article 148) may result in a fine of up to 1000 times the minimum wage or the same penalties of defamation for public works, prison work or imprisonment. [48] [49] In Quebec, defamation was originally based on the law inherited from the France. In order to establish civil liability for defamation, the plaintiff must, after weighing the probabilities, prove the existence of damage (fault), an unlawful act (damage) and a causal link (causation) between the two. A person who has made defamatory remarks is not necessarily liable under civil law. The applicant must also prove that the person who made the observations committed an unlawful act. Defamation in Quebec is governed by a standard of adequacy, as opposed to strict liability; A defendant who made a false statement would not be held liable if it were reasonable to assume that the testimony is true. [122] Although defamation and defamation encompass the essential aspects of defamation, the classifications are important because a different liability arises from each. These differences usually reflect a policy of tying people less strictly to what they say than to what they write – to avoid trivial complaints – and a policy of preserving the credibility of the written word through harsher penalties. The law also recognizes that written defamation is harmful rather than “just talking.” Burkman reportedly said the situation was “a joke” and threatened to sue for defamation.
In 2005, uniform defamation laws were introduced throughout Australia. [187] [188] The laws have made a number of changes to the common law position, including: There is a broader consensus against laws criminalizing defamation. Human rights organizations and other organizations such as the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have campaigned against strict defamation laws that criminalize defamation. [46] [47] The European Court of Human Rights has restricted the right to defamation under the freedom of expression provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights. A notable case was Lingens v. Austria (1986). In Switzerland, the offence of intentional defamation is punishable by up to three years` imprisonment or a fine of at least 30 days in accordance with Article 174-2 of the Swiss Criminal Code. Deliberate defamation occurs when the perpetrator is aware of the lie of his accusations and deliberately attempts to ruin the reputation of the victim (see articles 174-1 and 174-2). [102] [103] Although laws vary from state to state, a defamation action in the United States generally requires a plaintiff who invokes defamation to prove that the defendant:[138] Section 2 regulates grovt defamation (grovt förtal) and provides for a penalty of up to 2 years in prison or a fine.
When assessing whether the offence is serious, the court should consider whether the information is calculated in such a way as to cause “serious harm” on the basis of its content or the extent of its dissemination. [98] For example, if it can be established that the respondent knowingly transmitted untruths. [99] Article 4 makes it a criminal offence to defame a deceased person in accordance with Article 1 or 2. [98] Clearly, the subsection is intended to make it illegal to defame a person`s parents in order to circumvent the law. [99] The privilege provides for a complete prohibition and response to a defamation action, although conditions may have to be met before such protection is granted. Privilege is any circumstance that justifies or excuses a prima facie offence. It can be said that privilege recognizes the act of an accused that stems from an interest of social importance – and that society wants to protect those interests by not punishing those who persecute them. Privilege may be invoked whenever a defendant can prove that he acted for a justified reason.
While some privileges have long been recognized, the court can create a new privilege for certain circumstances – privilege as an affirmative defense is a potentially ever-evolving doctrine. These newly created or heavily recognized privileges are called residual foundation privileges. According to the Albanian Penal Code, defamation is a crime. Defamation in knowing the lie is punishable by fines ranging from ALL 40,000 (about $350) to ALL 1 million (about $8350). [68] If the defamation takes place in public or harms several people, the fine is ALL 40,000 to ALL 3 million (approximately $25,100). [69] In addition, defamation of public authorities, public officials or foreign representatives (Articles 227, 239 to 241) are separate offences punishable by up to 1 to 3 years` imprisonment. [70] [71] In Brazil, defamation is a crime called “defamation” (three months to one year in prison plus a fine; Article 139 of the Penal Code), “defamation” (from six months to two years` imprisonment plus a fine; Article 138 of the CP) and/or “injury” (one to six months` imprisonment or fine; Article 140), with aggravating penalties if the offence is committed in public (Article 141(III)) or against an official by reason of his or her usual duties. Incitement to hatred and violence is also provided for in the Penal Code (incitement to commit a crime, article 286). In addition, in situations such as harassment or moral restrictions, acts of defamation also fall under the crimes of “unlawful coercive measures” (Article 146 of the Penal Code) and “arbitrary exercise of discretion” (Article 345 of the Criminal Code), which are defined as a violation of the law as a vigilante.
[112] Since the law assumes that a person suffers harm if a statement is defamatory, it is not necessary to prove that a particular injury or loss occurred. However, section 6 of the Act authorizes an action for defamation brought by a corporation only if the corporation claims and proves that the publication of the defamation of that entity has caused or is likely to cause pecuniary damage. One of the earliest examples of defamation is the case of John Peter Zenger in 1735. Zenger was hired to publish the New York Weekly Journal. When he published another man`s article criticizing William Cosby, who was then the British royal governor of the colony of New York, Zenger was accused of seditious slander. [16] The verdict was found not guilty of incendiary defamation because it was proven that all the statements Zenger had published about Cosby were true, so there was no problem with defamation. Another example of defamation is the case of New York Times Co. v.
Sullivan (1964). The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned an Alabama state court that the New York Times found guilty of defamation for publishing an advertisement criticizing Alabama officials for mistreating civil rights activists of students. Although some of what the Times printed was false, the court ruled in his favor, saying that slandering an official requires evidence of actual malevolence, which has been defined as “the reckless knowledge or disregard of the truth.” [17] Many countries have criminal penalties for defamation in certain situations and different conditions for determining whether a crime has occurred. ARTICLE 19, a British interest group for freedom of expression, has published global maps[21] that show the existence of defamation laws around the world and show countries that have special protection for political leaders or state officials. [22] In Belgium, crimes against honour are provided for in Chapter V of the Belgian Penal Code, Articles 443 to 453-bis. Someone is guilty of defamation “if the law allows the alleged fact to be proved” and defamation “if the law does not allow such proof” (Article 443). The penalty is 8 days to one year`s imprisonment plus a fine (Article 444).
In addition, the offence of “defamatory denunciation” (Article 445) is punishable by a penalty of 15 days to six months` imprisonment plus a fine. For each of the crimes referred to in Chapter V of the Penal Code, the minimum penalty may be doubled (article 453-bis) “if one of the motivations of the crime is hatred, contempt or hostility of a person on the basis of race, colour, descent, national origin or ethnic origin, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, place of birth, age, inheritance, philosophical or religious beliefs, current status or sexual origin. future health status, disability, mother tongue, political belief, physical or genetic trait or social origin”. [73] [74] Since June 2010, South Korean courts have heard defamation cases and individuals are often fined thousands of dollars for exposing real facts. The international process of “courtesy” or “intent” does not seem to be the key in South Korea. [59] [Citation needed] Australian law tends to follow English defamation law, although there are differences introduced by the law and by the implicit constitutional restriction of the government`s powers to restrict the expression of opinions of a political nature established in Lange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1997). [183] To bring a defamation action, the person or company must prove that defamation and defamation are the legal subcategories of defamation.