The Southeast Asian Media Legal Defence Network

A group of media lawyers in South East Asia have formed a network aimed at promoting learning and cooperation among members of the group. Initiated at a conference in Hong Kong in 2007, the Network has worked together on individual cases, led trial observations to criminal trials against journalists in Thailand and Malaysia as well as to the trial against one of their group – Vietnamese lawyer Le Cong Dinh, currently serving a prison sentence for pro-democracy activities – and organised national and regional media law workshops.

The Media Legal Defence Initiative is a longstanding supporter to the Network. We provide financial support for networking activities and expertise on comparative media law to the group.

Lawyers from across Sub-Saharan Africa gather in Nairobi for Litigation Surgery 

From 2 to 4 October 2026, Media Defence, the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center (KHRC) and the Vuka! Coalition for Civic Action brought together 16 lawyers in Nairobi,

Press Freedom Advocates: Tsvetanka Ivanova

In this edition of Press Freedom Advocates, Media Defence speaks with Tsvetanka Ivanova, a media lawyer based in Sofia, about the state of press freedom in Bulgaria ahead of the

Arshad Sharif: Four Years Without Justice

Four years ago, on 23 October 2022, the Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was shot dead by Kenyan police at a roadblock near Nairobi. Sharif, a news anchor for ARY News,

A free press is essential for the protection of human rights.