Media Defence publishes a number of legal resources on freedom of expression law.

We are committed to sharing knowledge on media freedom with the legal community to improve the defence of journalists worldwide. Our legal resources cover substantive issues, such as access to information, defamation and free speech online, as well as guidance on pursuing litigation using regional mechanisms.

All our resources can be downloaded from our website. Our training materials are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial 4.0 International License. This means that they may be freely shared and adapted for non-commercial purposes, as long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license and indicate if changes were made.

Visit our Resource Hub here.

Interventions & Amicus Briefs

The European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg, France, featuring two large cylindrical towers with metallic facades and a central glass entrance under a clear blue sky.

Media Defence Files 2 Amicus Briefs at the European Court of Human Rights addressing the dangers of SLAPPs

Media Defence has filed written submissions as a third-party intervener in two separate cases currently before the European Court of

jose-ruben-zamora

Guatemalan Journalist José Rubén Zamora Released to House Arrest After More than Three Years in Arbitrary Detention 

Guatemalan investigative journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, founder of the now-defunct independent newspaper el Periódico, was released to house arrest

Case Challenging Impunity in the Killing of Journalist Léo Veras Reaches the IACHR Six Years After His Death

On the sixth anniversary of the killing of Brazilian journalist Lourenço “Léo” Veras, the Institute for Environmental Law and Economics

Seis años después del asesinato del periodista Léo Veras, su caso llega a la CIDH ante la falta de justicia

En el sexto aniversario del asesinato del periodista brasileño Lourenço “Léo” Veras, el Instituto de Derecho y Economía Ambiental (IDEA)

Marsactu News Site Logo

French Court of Appeal Dismisses Surgeon’s Defamation Lawsuit Against Marsactu and Mediapart

Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal dismissed surgeon Michel Assor’s defamation lawsuit against Marsactu's article published in 2024.
Khadija Ismayilova

Khadija Ismayilova Secures Win against Azerbaijan at European Court

The European Court of Human Rights has found that the criminal conviction of Khadija Ismayilova, a renowned Azeri journalist and

Legal Factsheets

MENA

ماژول‌های آموزشی درباره‌ی دادخواهی مربوط به آزادی بیان و حقوق دیجیتال

واحد آموزشی ۱: اصول اساسی حقوق بین‌الملل و آزادی بیان واحد آموزشی ۲: مقدمه‌ای بر حقوق دیجیتال واحد آموزشی ۳: دسترسی به اینترنت واحد آموزشی ۴: حریم خصوصی داده‌ها و حفاظت از داده‌ها واحد آموزشی ۵: افترا واحد آموزشی ۶:

MENA

Introduction to UN and Regional Mechanisms

Introduction While human rights activism has long been a feature of human society in many different forms, the internationalisation of that movement only truly took root when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

MENA

Violence against Journalists

Introduction Violence against journalists and others for exercising their right to freedom of expression poses a particularly serious threat to the realisation of this right. Besides violating the rights of the targets, such violence may lead to journalists self-censoring, especially

MENA

National Security

Introduction “National security” is a common justification offered by states for limiting freedom of expression by journalists, bloggers, and media organs. It is a legitimate ground for restricting freedom of expression in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

MENA

‘False News’, Misinformation and Propaganda

Introduction The phenomenon of false news and misinformation has increased exponentially in recent times with the advent of the internet and social media platforms. While manipulating and distorting information is squarely part of the historical record, the weaponisation of information

MENA

Cybercrimes

Introduction The increase in internet access recently has created a number of new legal challenges. The internet is transnational and ubiquitous, and the new landscape created by the digital world has raised novel challenges when it comes to protecting fundamental