CEU stands by the freedom of expression and against violence and extremism. President and Rector John Shattuck made the following statement on behalf of the CEU community:
"The terrorist attack in Paris was aimed at open societies all over the world. As a university founded on principles of free inquiry and expression, CEU recognizes that speech can cause controversy. But the right to speak must never be denied, and violent attacks on those who exercise this right are never justified.
Aujourd'hui, nous sommes tous journalistes. Today, we are all journalists."
Sejal Parmar, assistant professor in CEU's Department of Legal Studies and an expert in international human rights law and freedom of expression, noted that the massacre at the offices of Charlie Hebdo represent the deadliest single attack on journalists in Europe and says it "confirms that violence againsts journalists is truly a global phenomenon."
In November, 2014, Parmar provided the background paper for the Seminar and Inter-regional Dialogue on the protection of journalists at the European Court of Human Rights, titled "The Protection and Safety of Journalists: A Review of International and Regional Human Rights Law."
"It should be remembered that the key right at stake, freedom of expression, is also global. Freedom of speech and press freedom are not only French, European or Western values, but universal values for which people all over the world have fought, and continue to fight," Parmar continued. "Freedom of expression is a human right protected by international law that is crucial for the exercise of all other rights, including freedom of religion or belief and the right to non-discrimination. Following these attacks, journalists and satirists should resist the pressure to self-censor and feel bolstered by the remarkable outpourings of solidarity and support for freedom of expression seen on the streets of major world cities and in social media."
Echoing the global outpouring of sympathy and support, CEU's Kristina Irion, an assistant professor in the Department of Public Policy and a recognized expert on the protection of privacy, said, "Freedom of expression is the essence of any open society. We are all Charlie Hebdo."
