Censorship of street art in Colombia: the MOVICE mural and the ‘false positives’ scandal
To celebrate our 15th anniversary, we look back at some of the cases we have worked on that have had positive outcomes for freedom of expression. To start with, we are highlighting the landmark MOVICE mural case, in which the Colombian Constitutional Court ruled in favour of justice and human rights. The ‘false positives’ scandal […]
The “Misuse” of the judicial system to attack freedom of expression
UNESCO has released a new report on “The “misuse” of the judicial system to attack freedom of expression”. The report takes an in-depth look at the patterns and challenges surrounding the rise of abusive litigation, and makes a number of recommendations. To mark its release, we explore our own experience tackling legal threats to freedom […]
Russian disinformation: a weapon in its war on Ukraine
Lawmakers, academics and citizens are becoming increasingly aware of the threat posed by disinformation and malinformation. ‘Disinformation’ refers to falsehoods spread deliberately to stoke distrust or promote an agenda. It is a widespread issue, overshadowing elections everywhere from Brazil to the USA, fuelling hate speech, such as in India, and impacting stock prices around the […]
Black History Month: Talking Freedom of Expression with Journalist & Lawyer Nadine Kampire
October is Black History Month. Last year, we celebrated the work of trailblazing lawyers and journalists in sub-Saharan Africa This year, we interview Nadine Kampire, who participated in our first women-only litigation surgery in Nairobi this August. We organised the litigation surgery as part of our EWDRA project. Nadine Kampire is a Congolese journalist and […]
Spying in the digital age: The use of spyware against journalists
Spyware and freedom of expression Encryption is a valuable tool for freedom of expression online. It allows journalists, lawyers, human rights activists, and citizens to communicate securely. In recent years however, journalists around the world have experienced increasing digital surveillance, despite encryption becoming more accessible. In particular, investigative journalists uncovering corruption, abuse of power, and […]
Liste de lecture: Une introduction aux litiges dans les mécanismes régionaux en Afrique
À Media Defence, nous avons développé un centre de ressources avec de nombreuses ressources sur les droits numériques. Le Hub couvre dix thèmes relatifs aux droits numériques, tels que la diffamation, la vie privée et les restrictions aux contenus en ligne. Dans ce blog, nous avons rassemblé quelques ressources pour vous aider à en savoir […]
Why Covering the Environment Means Risking Your Life In Many Parts of the World
By Antoine Char, September 2, 2021 Originally published by Les Cahiers du Journalisme and GIJN On 1 June 2015, Indian police burst into the office of Jagendra Singh and threw petrol over him. He died of his burns one week later. As for Sandeep Sharma, he died instantly. He was run over by a […]
Claudia Duque: Fighting State Surveillance in Colombia
“I ask myself every day whether I’m able to continue with all of this. But I have never doubted that this is my profession and what I want to do.” Claudia Duque, interviewed by Nicolas Guzman 2019 for DW.com. The courageous and passionate Claudia Duque is an award-winning Colombian journalist who, along with her daughter, […]
Black History Month: Celebrating the work of lawyers in sub-Saharan Africa
Litigation in sub-Saharan Africa This Black History Month, we’re highlight the work of lawyers in sub-Saharan Africa in developing freedom of expression standards. There have been significant gains in recent years thanks to lawyers and civil society pushing to improve standards through litigation. An increasing community of litigators are making these victories possible. By leveraging […]
Meet the Trustees: Ugandan lawyer Cathy Anite
We interviewed trustee Cathy Anite to learn more about what has inspired her work and her achievements thus far. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I am a passionate Human Rights advocate and freedom of expression enthusiast. In 2018, I founded the Freedom of Expression Hub to promote and defend freedom of expression […]
Fatu Camara: A Gambian trailblazer
Journalist Impact: Interview with Fatu Camara Fatou Camara (otherwise known as Fatu) is an impressive journalist. Working under a dictator, she established Gambia’s first talk show, which quickly became the most watched show in the country. In 2013, she was detained by the Gambian Security Agency. Following her release, she fled to Senegal and has […]
UN body finds Cameroon journalist unlawfully detained and tortured
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) has published an Opinion holding Cameroon responsible for unlawfully detaining prominent investigative journalist and blogger Tsi Conrad. On 8 December 2016, Mr Conrad was arrested in Bamenda while filming a protest held by the ruling political party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM). He was arrested at […]