The president of the Azorean government, José Manuel Bolieiro, presided over the opening of the VII Azorean Law Days – “Freedom of Expression”, which are taking place until Friday, June 6, at the Teatro Micaelense, in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel.

The leader of the Azorean executive praised the continuity and quality of this initiative, stressing that “the Azorean Law Days are unequivocally a benchmark in legal and legal-political reflection and thought in the country, starting in the Azores”.

He also considered that the continued holding of this forum “ensures consistency and this raises the good name of the Azores, a place of choice for holding these intellectual events, sharing knowledge and experiences”.

José Manuel Bolieiro emphasized the topicality and relevance of the theme chosen for this edition, freedom of expression, noting that “there is no democracy without freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”

The President of the Government warned, however, of the challenges of the present time, marked by disinformation, hate speech, and new forms of digital manipulation, where “freedom of expression is under stress” due to the proliferation of false content and the misuse of social networks and artificial intelligence.

The President of the Government of the Azores also made a historical reminder of the role of the Azores in the country’s great political transformations, recalling that “Portugal was made in constant critical reflection and action with Azoreans who marked the cycles of change”, such as Mouzinho da Silveira, Hintze Ribeiro, Antero de Quental, Teófilo Braga and Natália Correia.

During the conference, several national experts will present legal and academic reflections on the limits, responsibilities, and tensions of freedom of expression, in its various dimensions.

Speakers include Professor Gonçalo Almeida Ribeiro, Judge António Henriques Campos, Professor Nuno Brandão, Judge Ana Celeste Carvalho, Judge António Abrantes Geraldes, Master Ana Pais, Professor Susana Aires de Sousa, and Judge João Cura Mariano, President of the Supreme Court of Justice.

The meeting is being organized by the president of the Azores District Court, Judge Pedro Soares de Albergaria, with the collaboration of Francisco Siqueira, José Freitas, Madalena Cordeiro Aguiar, Sónia Sousa Braga, and Vanessa Silva.

In Diário da Lagoa – Clife Botelho, director.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.