ABSTRACT
Sedition is an inherently political offence, specifically targeting advocacy regarded as threatening to the government or socio-economic order. Of course, any acts directed at overthrowing the established order are regarded as serious criminal offences. The law of sedition, however, is aimed specifically at suppressing the expression of supposedly dangerous ideas, rather than any overt acts. Invariably also, the law is defined in terms that leave wide discretion in the hands of governments, prosecutors and courts. Sometimes, sedition offences have remained unused for decades, prompting predictions of their demise. However, in times of war or political crisis, charges of sedition have commonly been used to punish and silence critics for uttering remarks that in other periods might have been treated as acceptable. Principles of free speech have proven to be of little or no protection to those accused.
