Featured Case Study: Senegal: Challenging Internet Shutdowns

The precarious state of press freedom in Turkey, entwined with a deteriorating democratic environment, poses significant challenges to journalists. Increasingly they face arbitrary arrests, legal threats, and increasing violence in their pursuit of reporting truth. In response to these threats, the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), our partner, actively defends press freedom and human…

23 October 2023 marks one year since the killing of prominent Pakistani journalist and news anchor for Pakistani broadcaster, ARY News, Arshad Sharif. Sharif was fatally shot at close range by Kenyan Police at a roadblock near Nairobi. To this day, a transparent, independent and effective investigation into the circumstances of his death has not…

November 2nd marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The threats and dangers that constitute a stark reality for many journalists reinforce the importance of this day. Every year journalists are killed, tortured, and harassed for carrying out their work. Over 1,600 journalists have been killed since 2003 with a sharp…

The ECOWAS Court has issued its decision following an application by the lawyers for the applicants; Association Des Blogueurs De Guinee (ABLOGUI), Association Villageois 2.0, Ligue Guineenne Des Droits De L’Homme and Centre Africain De Formation et D’Information Sur Les Droits Humains et L’Environment for judgment in default of defence. The case was filed at…

Author: Emmanuel Vargas Penagos* On the 4th and 5th of May 2021, amid massive national anti-government protests, Internet connectivity was lost in parts of Cali, Colombia. Why did the internet go down in Cali? This city, one of the largest in the country, was one of the epicentres of the demonstrations. It was never clear…

In October 2023, Media Defence filed Nika Gvaramia’s case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), challenging his unlawful detention and the denial of his right to a fair trial.  Background In May 2022, Nika Gvaramia, a prominent and award-winning Georgian journalist and leading opposition politician, was convicted of abuse of power and sentenced…

We’re pleased to publish key insights from our 7th Journalist Impact Survey. The report shares findings and observations on the effectiveness and long-term impact of our legal and financial help, as well as the threats and trends affecting the journalists we support around the world.   Explore Report “I dread thinking about it.  I did not…

For 15 years, Media Defence have provided crucial legal support to journalists, citizen journalists, cartoonists, and independent media worldwide. As the sole organisation dedicated solely to this cause, we've made a significant impact: spanning 117 countries, we've supported over 1,300 press freedom cases, and trained 270 lawyers to defend journalists globally. Explore our Visual Timeline…

Read our Learning Report 2022 Media Defence values the importance of learning and improvement. We undertake a variety of internal and external evaluations each year in order to understand the effectiveness and relevance of our programmes, ensuring that we learn from the experiences of the lawyers and journalists involved. We also do this to explore…