Online Hate Speech Under International Law

The term “hate speech” has not been conventionally defined thus far, namely in the international human rights lawinternational human rights law. The aim of this paper is to set forth the significance of “hate speech” in general and “online hate speech” (aka cyberhatecyberhate) in particular under international law. This study primarily analyzes the binding provisions of international human rights law such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Therefore, it pays attention to the standards to consider an action as a “hate speech”. This study brings us to the final conclusion that despite the general framework within international law, the harm caused by cyberhate differs significantly from offline hate, and thus requires distinctive regulations. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss cyberhate within international community and to adopt measures with this regard.