I remember someone claimed (I can't find it again) that the early Christian anti-heresy writers were pioneers in this regard. They believed that suppressing heresy was not enough, that unless a particular religious error was described and refuted it would surely be reinvented. This wasn't the norm.
Of course, it wasn't exactly defense of free speech, they still certainly didn't believe in letting heretics describe their beliefs in their own words.
Of course, it wasn't exactly defense of free speech, they still certainly didn't believe in letting heretics describe their beliefs in their own words.