Censorship, Academic Freedom and Legal Regulation: A Bahamian Case Study

This paper provides an analysis of a dimension of the legal environment within which academic freedom in The Bahamas was encroached upon by government agencies of The Bahamas exercising regulatory authority over the public viewing of a film. The analysis was conducted through an inquiry to determine whether the constitutional right of freedom of expression was violated when academicians, having organized a public study session relating to censorship, were prohibited from using footage from a banned film as part of their study session. This paper suggests that Bahamian courts, based on the analysis presented in the paper, would conclude that the regulatory actions of the administrative agency in question constituted a breach of the constitutional right of freedom of expression.