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On September 9, 2025, Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University hosted a virtual book discussion ‘The Cambridge Handbook of the Right to Freedom of Thought‘. The right to freedom of thought is increasingly invoked in debates on emerging technologies —such as neurotechnology and artificial intelligence— yet its scope, content, and application remain poorly understood. This Handbook, edited by Patrick O’Callaghan and Bethany Shiner, offers a pioneering effort to map how the right is protected, interpreted, and applied across the globe. It examines eighteen jurisdictions and includes chapters that provide essential context, interdisciplinary perspectives, and in-depth analysis of the right in relation to specific challenges and conceptual questions.
Welcome and Introductiom
Hawley Johnson – Associate Director, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression.
PANEL I: Introduction to the Handbook
Bethany Shiner – Senior Lecturer in Law, Middlesex University
Patrick O’Callaghan – Professor of Law, University College Cork
Lautaro Furfaro – Senior Legal Researcher, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression / Professor of International Human Rights Law and Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights, University of Buenos Aires.
Discussant: Ahmed Shaheed – Professor of International Human Rights Law, School of Law and Human Rights Centre, University of Essex
PANEL II: Regional Perspectives on Freedom of Thought
Inter-American System
Bethany Shiner – Senior Lecturer in Law, Middlesex University
Discussant: Lautaro Furfaro, Senior Legal Researcher, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression/ Professor of International Human Rights Law and Philosophical Foundation of Human Rights, University of Buenos Aires
European System
Felicitas Benziger – Post-doctoral researcher, University College Cork.
Discussant: Brian Frenkel, Professor of the European and African Human Rights Systems, University of Buenos Aires.
African System
Sfiso Benard Nxumalo – Reading for a Doctor of Philosophy in Law, Oxford University.
Discussant: Caroline James, Editor, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression / Advocacy Coordinator, AmaBhugane Center for Investigative Journalism
Closing Remarks
Nazila Ghanea – United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
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