Freedom of speech is in danger
The suspicion that the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi has been killed at the behest of the rulers of Saudi Arabia, raises the frightening prospect that once again our cherished freedom of speech is in danger.
Even here in New Zealand, there was a recent attempt to silence a man who was once the Governor of the Reserve Bank.
There are so many instances of these acts of suppression, that it would be impossible to list them all, especially if those with a religious context are included.
We must remember that an attempt by the clerical establishment of one nation to silence a certain carpenter who came out of Galilee failed to deter his followers and the very act of suppression resulted in a great international movement that still upholds the right of free speech to this day.