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Important media freedom judgment at the East African Court of Justice

Posted on: 
9 Apr 2019

The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) has handed down an important judgment for freedom of expression in Tanzania, and elsewhere in the region. The legal challenge was brought following the 2016 enactment of the Media Services Act, which placed restrictions on freedom of expression – restricting certain types of news content and introducing the offences of criminal defamation, sedition and publication of a false statement. The challenge was brought by the Media Council of Tanzania, Legal and Human Rights Centre, and the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition.

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Call for Applications: West Africa Digital Rights and Freedom of Expression Litigation Surgery

Posted on: 
20 Mar 2019

Applications are now open for English-speaking lawyers based in countries that are members of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) and the Republic of Cameroon to take part in a practical litigation workshop on the right to freedom of expression, digital rights and the internet. Successful applicants will be funded to attend the litigation surgery training in Accra, Ghana, and become active members of a digital rights legal network.

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Mapping digital rights and online freedom of expression in East, West, and Southern Africa

Posted on: 
11 Mar 2019

Media Legal Defence Initiative has published a new report, Mapping digital rights and freedom of expression in East, West and Southern Africa. This in-depth study analyses each region and each country, and is ideal for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of digital restrictions in sub-Saharan Africa. The report is free to download and distribute under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Licence.

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Italian investigative journalist acquitted of unfounded libel charges

Posted on: 
11 Feb 2019

A Rome court has acquitted freelance investigative journalist Raffaella Cosentino of aggravated libel. The charges were brought against her for an article she wrote about corruption and exploitation in asylum centres in Italy. Her case was supported by MLDI. Ms Cosentino is a journalist whose reporting covers human rights issues with a particular focus on migrants and asylum seekers. At the time she was working freelance; writing for the Italian online newspaper, Espresso, as well as other outlets including the BBC.

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Free speech organisations submit amicus brief in Inter-American Court of Human Rights case on criminal defamation

Posted on: 
14 Jan 2019

MLDI and seven other free speech organisations have today filed an amicus brief before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of Tulio Álvarez v Venezuela . The applicant, Mr. Álvarez, is a Venezuelan constitutional lawyer and university professor who was criminally convicted of “ongoing aggravated defamation” in respect of a column he published in a local newspaper regarding the alleged misappropriation of funds from the National Assembly’s Workers’ and Retirees’ Savings Bank.

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Preliminary Opinion from Court of Justice of the European Union in Google v CNIL case about the right to be forgotten affirms the need to protect freedom of expression

Posted on: 
10 Jan 2019

The Advocate General Maciej Szpunar delivered a landmark preliminary opinion in respect of the scope of individuals’ right to request the removal, or 'de-referencing', of online information about them. The opinion states enforcement of a successful claim should apply only to the EU and not worldwide.

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European Court of Human Rights finds Azerbaijan violated the rights of investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova

Posted on: 
10 Jan 2019

The European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgment in the case of award-winning Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova. Ms Ismayilova, an independent investigative journalist known internationally for her pro-democracy stance, was the target of a systematic smear campaign comprising threats, intimidations and gross violations of her privacy designed to prevent her from pursuing her journalistic work.

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Leading media law and journalism organizations announce new legal support for fact-checkers

Posted on: 
9 Jan 2019

Fact-checkers around the world are under threat. From today fact-checkers will now be able to access legal support and resources through the Fact-Checkers Legal Support Initiative (FLSI). The project is being launched by three leading media law and journalism organizations: the Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) , the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) and the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) .

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Call for Applications: East Africa Digital Rights and Online Freedom of Expression Litigation Surgery

Posted on: 
8 Jan 2019

Media Legal Defence Initiative will be running a litigation surgery in Kampala, Uganda, on the right to online freedom of expression, digital rights and the internet. This fully funded, legal workshop is for lawyers based in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

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Important ECtHR judgment on hyperlinking and defamation finds violation of press freedom

Posted on: 
4 Dec 2018

The ECtHR’s unanimous judgment on Magyar Jeti ZRT v Hungary is an important clarification of the circumstances in which liability might exist for using hyperlinks.

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