Spain and freedom of expression

The Council of Europe has called on the Spanish government to amend its Criminal Code in order to safeguard the right to freedom of expression. Spain’s approach towards freedom of expression has been questioned in the past few years. The Council of Europe expressed its concerns over the growing number of criminal convictions in recent years resulting from unclear provisions within the Spanish Criminal Code, including the provision on the glorification of terrorism, hate crime and defamation of state’s institutions (the Crown).