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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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Defending the Truth in Courts: Media Defence and OHCHR Collaborate to Strengthen Defence of Press Freedom in Latin America
Earlier this year, Media Defence and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) convened a three-day Litigation Surgery in Costa Rica, bringing together 19 lawyers from 12 Latin American countries to strengthen legal strategies for defending journalists facing lawsuits, criminalisation, harassment and violence, both online and offline. Since Media Defence began organising Litigation Surgeries in 2015,…
Media Defence Concludes Asia Pacific Litigation Surgery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
From 18th to 20th November 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Media Defence held the Asia Pacific Litigation Surgery, a training that combined expert-led presentations, case analysis, and peer-to-peer learning across a range of critical topics regarding press freedom. The three-day programme brought together 12 participants, representing 10 countries across the region: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mongolia,…
Building Solidarity Across Borders: Women Lawyers Connect Through Media Defence’s Peer Mentorship Programme
Media Defence’s Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Programme brings together lawyers from around the world to strengthen their skills, confidence, and professional networks. Its most recent cohort marked a significant milestone: the programme’s first women-focused edition. Over fourteen months, 22 women lawyers working on freedom of expression issues met across languages, regions, and career stages, forming a supportive…
Protection Order Against South African Journalist Thomo Nkgadima Set Aside: The Campaign for Free Expression Warns of Rising Misuse of Harassment Laws
Media Defence and the Campaign for Free Expression (CFE), welcome the decision of the Praktiseer Magistrates’ Court in Limpopo to set aside the protection order previously granted against freelance journalist Thomo Nkgadima. The ruling affirms that South Africa’s Protection from Harassment Act cannot be weaponised to obstruct legitimate newsgathering, nor used as a tool by…
The Supreme Court Upholds Torture Convictions in the Case of Claudia Julieta Duque
This article was originally published in Spanish by our partner Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP). Read the original here. The Colombian Supreme Court has rejected appeals filed by Emiro Rojas Granados, the former Deputy Director of the redundant Colombian secret police - the Administrative Department of Security (DAS) - and Néstor Javier Pachón…
Ariane Lavrilleux: Landmark Judgment for Source Protection to be Appealed by Paris Public Prosecutor
On 9 October 2025, the Paris Criminal Court dismissed the proceedings against French investigative journalist Ariane Lavrilleux in the Egypt Papers case. During the hearing, the judge also reportedly recognised the public interest of the 2021 Egypt Papers investigation, co-authored by Lavrilleux for the independent outlet Disclose. The investigation exposed a covert French intelligence operation, known as Operation Sirli, in Egypt and alleged French complicity…