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The right to express an opinion in public without being restrained or censored.<ref> 1996, John S. Gibson, Dictionary of International Human Rights Law, Scarecrow Press, Inc., page 79:Strode's Act in the Parliament of 1512 was the first statute to protect such early freedom of expression, although limited to members of Parliament.</ref><ref> 1997, David Robertson, A Dictionary of Human Rights, Europa Publications Limited, page 89:Freedom of expression is essentially another, and perhaps more accurate, way of referring to the composite of rights usually labelled freedom of speech.</ref><ref> 1999, Frank Bealey, Allan G. Johnson, The Blackwell Dictionary of Political Science, Blackwell Publishers Ltd, page 137:freedom of expression — a group of the most important democratic rights. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press allow people to express their opinions and preferences and to communicate these to others. They allow criticism of those in power and and are basic to freedom to oppose the government. No authority can be sacred where freedom to criticize exists.</ref>