{{Short description|Threshold for a free society}} '''Town square test''' is a threshold test for a free society proposed by a former Soviet dissident and human rights activist Natan Sharansky, now a notable politician in Israel.

In his book ''The Case for Democracy'', published in 2004, Sharansky explains the term: "If a person cannot walk into the middle of the town square and express his or her views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm, then that person is living in a fear society, not a free society. We cannot rest until every person living in a 'fear society' has finally won their freedom."<ref> {{Citation | last1 = Sharansky | first1 = Natan | last2 = Dermer | first2 = Ron | authorlink = Natan Sharansky | title = The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror | publisher = Balfour Books | location = | year = 2006 | pages = 40–41 | doi = | isbn = 978-0-89221-644-4}} </ref>

==Usage== The test became famous after George W. Bush endorsed the book<ref>[http://www.slate.com/id/2112699/ "My Sharansky" by Chris Suellentrop]</ref> and Condoleezza Rice referenced it to characterize "a fear society" in her prepared remarks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 18, 2005:

{{quote|The world should apply what Natan Sharansky calls the "town square test": if a person cannot walk into the middle of the town square and express his or her views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm, then that person is living in a fear society, not a free society. We cannot rest until every person living in a "fear society" has finally won their freedom.<ref name="Rice"> {{cite web | url=http://foreign.senate.gov/testimony/2005/RiceTestimony050118.pdf | title=Archived copy | accessdate=2006-03-26 | url-status=dead | page=4 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060325002023/http://foreign.senate.gov/testimony/2005/RiceTestimony050118.pdf | archivedate=2006-03-25 }} </ref>}}

Rice went on to identify Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Zimbabwe as examples of outposts of tyranny.<ref name="Rice"/>

=== The case of Luis Robles Elizástigui and the "Town Square Test" in Cuba === '''Luis Robles Elizástigui''',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Luis Robles Elizástigui |url=https://www.prisonersdefenders.org/tag/luis-robles-elizastigui/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Prisoners Defenders |language=es}}</ref> referred to as "the Young Man with the Sign,"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-16 |title=Cuban regime releases political prisoner Luis Robles |url=https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2025-01-16-u1-e135253-s27061-nid295607-regimen-cubano-excarcela-al-preso-politico-luis#google_vignette |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=CiberCuba |language=en}}</ref> is a Cuban citizen notable for his arrest and imprisonment following a peaceful protest in Havana on December 4, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=cfcadmin |date=2024-12-25 |title=CubaBrief: There are over 3,067 political prisoners in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela today. On Christmas Eve remember those innocents jailed for exercising their rights to advocate for freedom. |url=https://cubacenter.org/cuba-brief/2024/12/24/cubabrief-there-are-over-3067-political-prisoners-in-cuba-nicaragua-and-venezuela-today-on-christmas-eve-remember-those-innocents-jailed-for-exercising-their-rights-to-advocate-for-freedom/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Cuba Center |language=en-US}}</ref> His case has been cited <ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-31 |title=Our Moral Debt to Luis Robles, sentenced to 5 years in prison |url=https://democraticspaces.com/trending/2022/3/31/our-moral-debt-to-luis-robles |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Democratic Spaces |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jurídico |first=elTOQUE |date=2021-12-09 |title=Cuba: Luis Robles, a Year in Jail with No Trial or Sentence |url=https://eltoque.com/en/cuba-luis-robles-a-year-in-jail-with-no-trial-or-sentence |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=elTOQUE |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-10 |title=Human Rights Watch demands the release of Cuban Luis Robles |url=https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2021-08-10-u1-e200807-s27061-human-rights-watch-exige-liberacion-cubano-luis-robles |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=CiberCuba |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Policía política amenaza al preso político Luis Robles por denuncias de su madre |url=https://adncuba.com/es/derechos-humanos/policia-politica-amenaza-al-preso-politico-luis-robles-por-denuncias-de-su-madre |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=ADN Cuba |language=es}}</ref> as an example of Natan Sharansky's "Town Square Test," which posits that a society is a "fear society" if individuals cannot express their opinions publicly without facing arrest or harm. Robles was detained after standing on San Rafael Boulevard holding a sign demanding freedom and the release of imprisoned artist Denis Solís. He was later sentenced to five years in prison.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-30 |title=Condenan a Luis Robles a cinco años de prisión |url=https://www.cibercuba.com/noticias/2022-03-30-u1-e196568-s27061-condenan-luis-robles-cinco-anos-prision |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=CiberCuba |language=es}}</ref>

Robles' case has garnered significant attention from human rights organizations and media. Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cuba: Amnesty declares four new prisoners of conscience in midst of new wave of state repression |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/cuba-amnesty-declares-four-new-prisoners-conscience-midst-new-wave-state-repression |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=www.amnesty.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> stating that his imprisonment stemmed solely from peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. Human Rights Watch classified him as a political prisoner,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cuba: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/cuba/freedom-world/2022 |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Freedom House |language=en}}</ref> and characterized his detention as politically motivated. Robles' family said he was subjected to "humiliating treatment" in prison.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lima |first=Lioman |title=Quién es Luis Robles, el joven que lleva preso casi cuatro meses en Cuba por pararse en una calle con un cartel |url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-56368410 |access-date=2025-04-25 |work=BBC News Mundo |language=es}}</ref>

==See also== * Democracy * Political freedom * Free speech zone

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060824031648/http://www.settingtheworldtorights.com/node/533 Town Square Test in Oxford, England]

Category:Political neologisms Category:Freedom of speech