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We benefit from the donated services of some of the world’s leading lawyers and law firms, who provide their time and experties free of charge to help us defend journalists globally. We are extremely grateful to our pro bono partners, whose contribution makes our work possible.
What is strategic litigation?
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How to Apply
Usualliy applications are made by the lawyer handling the case but they can also be made by the journalist, the family or friends of the journalist or a relevant support organization
If you are applying as a lawyer handling the case, you will need to:
- have identified a lawyer to handle the case (if you have not yet found a lawyer please contact us first and we may be able to put you in touch with lawyers we have worked with previously)
- complete the full application form
- provide copies of the legal documents
- provide a budget breakdown (we will only cover legal costs)
- provide a link to or copy of the relevant article/s or post/s associated with the case
- provide a power of attorney between you and the journalist you are representing
If you have any technical issues accessing the online form, please email info@mediadefence.org with details of the issue so we can resolve the problem.
Share your legal expertise
We benefit from the donated services of some of the world’s leading lawyers and law firms, who provide their time and experties free of charge to help us defend journalists globally. We are extremely grateful to our pro bono partners, whose contribution makes our work possible.
Much of our strategic litigation at regional courts such as the European Court of Human Rights is carried out with the assistance of specialist, pro bono media lawyers.
We are always in need of more people to help defend freedom of expression around the world. Could you support our work by providing your expertise or advice pro bono?
Some of the types of legal support include:
- Litigating strategic cases.
- Providing legal advice to local lawyers and organisations.
- Providing legal research on specific issues relevant to a case.
- Drafting legal briefs.
- Delivering training on free speech litigation at regional forums.
Join the team
Become a volunteer
Thank you so much for considering volunteering with us. Our legal team takes on a number of legal volunteers throughout the year who provide us with much-needed support and increase our capacity significantly. We also occasionally have other volunteer roles in communications, monitoring and evaluation, and finance.
Vacancies & Opportunities
Thank you for your interest in working with us. When we have job vacancies and consultancy opportunities they will be posted here. If there are no paid opportunities at the moment, you may be able to volunteer with us.
We address this through
Our Mandate
We ensure quality legal representation is available to journalists by paying for legal fees, connecting them to a lawyer if they don’t have one, and providing that lawyer with technical legal support. We also ensure that journalists have access to legal remedies when their right to freedom of expression has been violated, for instance if they have been attacked.
Strategic Litigation
Unjust laws are used against journalists to stop them reporting, journalists charged under these laws often cannot afford a lawyer and there is a shortage of local legal centres and lawyers defending journalists.
We could not do our work without the generous support of our donors and supporters.
If you want to play a part in ensuring that journalists around the world can report freely, please donate today.
£2,000 helps defend a journalist or citizen journalist and keep them out of prison. £25,000 can fund a defence centre to provide legal defence for media across an entire country for one year.
Please donate to our work today. Whether you give a one-off contribution or set up a recurring donation, you will be helping to fight for press freedom around the world.
Thank you for your support.
Featured Resources
LINKOur Staff
Media Defence is managed by a professional secretariat based in London.
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Team 1
Position
Team 2
Position
Team 3
Position
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
Alinda Vermeer
Head of Legal Cluster
About Us
Media Defence is a non-governmental, international human rights organization established in 2008 to provide legal defence to journalists and independent media around the world who are under threat for their reporting.
Mission: Our core mission is to ensure legal protection of journalists so that they can continue to report on issues of public interest unhindered by legal threats.
Mandate: We work globally, where there is the greatest need, to ensure legal defence and protection of journalists, citizen journalists and media outlets from legal threats related to their journalism that violate the right to freedom of expression, ensuring that they can continue to report on issues of public interest.
Legal Defence
We provide legal help to journalists and independent media across the world
Strategic Litigation
We take on strategic cases to change unjust laws used against journalists