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What We Do
Emergency Defence
We fund legal defence for journalists and independent media across the world.
Strategic Litigation
We take on strategic cases to promote and improve media freedom.
Capacity Building
We build local legal capacity to defend journalists through legal training and by funding local legal centres to defend journalists.
What’s new
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Las Volcánicas: sued for reporting on allegations of sexual abuse
Matilde de Los Milagros Londoño and Catalina Ruiz-Navarro are two Colombian journalists, founders of the news outlet Las Volcánicas. After extensive research, on 24 June 2020 they published a report denouncing eight cases of alleged sexual abuse and harassment against women by the renowned Colombian filmmaker Ciro Guerra. Soon afterwards Guerra launched a series of…
Guinea: Our Application Following the Internet Shutdowns
Media Defence files application to ECOWAS Court against Guinea following government-ordered internet shutdowns Media Defence has filed an application to the ECOWAS Court on behalf of four applicants after Guinea cut internet access across the country in March 2020, and again in October 2020. The shutdowns were imposed at critical moments in Guinea’s democracy. In…
Guinée: Media Defence Dépose une Requête suite aux Coupures d’Internet
Media Defence dépose une requête devant la Cour de Justice de la CEDEAO contre la Guinée suite aux coupures d'internet ordonnées par le gouvernement Media Defence a déposé une requête auprès de la Cour de Justice de la CEDEAO au nom de quatre requérants après que la Guinée ait coupé l'accès à Internet dans tout…
ECOWAS Court Adjourns Nigeria Twitter Case
The ECOWAS Court has joined four cases, including a case filed by Media Defence on behalf of nine applicants, challenging the Twitter ban in Nigeria and adjourned the matter to 29 September 2021. Media Defence and Nigerian lawyer, Mojirayo Ogunlana Nkanga, filed an application to the ECOWAS Court on behalf of 5 NGOs, including Paradigm…
Interview with Solomon Okedara from Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative (DRLI)
Welcome to the Digital Rights Advocates Blog Series, where we hear from lawyers litigating digital rights in sub-Saharan Africa. Digital rights have become indispensable for people around the world to exercise and enjoy their fundamental rights. Independent media is increasingly moving online – from established newspapers and television channels to bloggers and human rights activists…
Lawyer Impact Survey 2020
In 2020, we carried out our first ever Lawyer Impact Survey to assess the impact of our support to lawyers through our emergency defence and strategic litigation programmes. Through these programmes, lawyers are offered financial support to cover their legal fees and pro bono legal support. Our legal support is based on their needs and…