New book addresses 250 years of freedom of expression in Sweden
Last year Sweden’s Freedom of the Press Act, the first legislation of its kind in the world, celebrated 250 years. The newly released book, ‘The Legacy of Peter Forsskål. 250 Years of Freedom of Expression’, sheds light on the history of free speech based on Peter Forsskål and his 21 theses on civil liberty.Sweden and Finland, which then were one country, were the first in the world to pass a law on press freedom. But a few years before the new law was adopted, Peter Forsskål published a pamphlet that contained innovative ideas for that time, including every citizens’ right to freedom of