Andrew Hamilton (1676-1741) was a lawyer in colonial America, best known for his 1735 legal victory defending the newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger against charges of libel. Under English law, if a printer merely published criticism of the government, as Zenger did, this constituted libel. Hamilton contended that true statements should not be considered libelous, and the jury agreed, thus helping to establish truth as a defense against accusations of libel – a cornerstone of freedom of the press. Tavaana has translated to Persian Hamilton’s eloquent defense of Zenger, in which he calls on the jury to protect “the liberty of both exposing and opposing arbitrary power… by speaking and writing truth.”
Click here to read Tavaana’s exclusive translation of “Defense of Freedom of the Press.”
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Hamilton%20-%20Freedom%20of%20the%20Press_4.pdf
public://Hamilton%20-%20Freedom%20of%20the%20Press_4.pdf
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