Thailand’s Ongoing Criminalisation of Investigative Journalist Chutima Sidasathian
This article forms part of our Human Rights Day Series, highlighting three urgent cases we are supporting to underscore the diversity of threats facing journalists and the profound impact of legal harassment, criminalisation, and impunity. Read our initial article here. In 2021, Thai investigative journalist Dr Chutima Sidasathian was targeted with five separate criminal defamation […]
Watch our Webinar: Legal Considerations for Environmental Journalists
Watch the recording below of our webinar in collaboration with Journalismfund Europe, where we discussed the risks faced by environmental journalists and explored ways to mitigate them with a legal expert from Media Defence. As global environmental disasters increasingly hammered home the realities of climate change, the need for in-depth reporting had never been greater. […]
The Growing Threat of Lawfare: Defending Journalists and Independent Media
The global use of lawfare—where governments and powerful actors weaponise legal systems to silence journalists—is increasingly on the rise. Combatting lawfare has been central to Media Defence’s mission since our founding in 2008. As a serious threat to journalists and freedom of expression, addressing lawfare continues to be a strategic priority for our work. How […]
From Consensus to Censorship: How Wartime Measures in Ukraine Are Eroding Press Freedom
As we near 30 months since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, we spoke with our Ukrainian partner, Human Rights Platform (HRP). Media lawyer, Oleksandra Stepanova, discussed growing concerns over the erosion of press freedoms and increasing state media control. She tells us how wartime restrictions, once largely understood as necessary, […]
Landmark Ruling in Uruguay: Court Dismisses $450k SLAPP Suit Against La Diaria
Leer en español By Edison Lanza and Matías Jackson A recent first instance ruling by a Civil Court in Montevideo (Uruguay) dismissed a damages lawsuit with characteristics of a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) filed against the print and digital media outlet La Diaria. After a civil process that took two years, the landmark […]
Una sentencia ofrece argumentos para desestimar acciones SLAPP en Uruguay
Read in English Por Edison Lanza y Matías Jackson Una reciente sentencia de primera instancia dictada por un Juzgado Letrado en lo Civil de Montevideo (Uruguay) desestimó una demanda de daños y perjuicios con características de un litigio estratégico contra la participación pública (SLAPP por su sigla en inglés) interpuesta contra el medio escrito y […]
Brazil: Supreme Court Acts to Prevent the Silencing of Journalists through Judicial Harassment
In a landmark ruling, Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (STF) has declared judicial harassment of journalists unconstitutional, marking a significant step towards protecting press freedom in the country. The decision will significantly curtail the misuse the legal system to intimidate and silence journalists. The case was filed by our partner, the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji). […]
SLAPPs in South Africa: The Karyn Maughan Case
Private prosecutions are rare in South Africa. That is particularly true when an individual accused in another criminal case prosecutes a journalist who is reporting on their case. They are even more unprecedented when the accused who is pursuing the private prosecution is a former president of the country. Such a case, initiated by former […]
Fighting SLAPPs in Colombia
Constitutional Court declares law facilitating SLAPPs in Colombia ‘unconstitutional’. In Colombia, there is a 75-year-old law that regulates the conduct of civil lawsuits against press publications. On the 13th May 2021, the Constitutional Court of Colombia declared it unconstitutional. The law stated that where a person stood accused of causing harm through a publication, they […]
SLAPP Lawsuit Used to Silence Reporting on Alleged Labour Rights Abuses
Media Defence is supporting Thai journalist subject to SLAPP lawsuit after reporting on alleged labour rights violations We are supporting Suchanee Cloitre, a journalist facing criminal defamation proceedings filed by Thammasakaet, a poultry company based in Thailand. In 2019, Thailand’s Human Rights Commission accused the company of committing serious labour rights violations against its migrant […]
Media Defence Supports Swiss Independent Media Outlet Gotham City
Gotham City is an independent media outlet based in Lausanne, specialising in reporting on international financial crime, corruption, fraud and money laundering in Switzerland and abroad. Founded in 2017, the online magazine is facing more and more legal threats as its audience grows. In 2020 Gotham City faced five lawsuits, all involving requests for ‘super […]
Media Defence Supports Legal Defence of Cameroonian Journalist in Multiple Lawsuits Filed by International Timber Company
Media Defence is supporting Nestor Nga Etoga, an investigative journalist in Cameroon. An international timber company has filed multiple lawsuits against Mr Nga Etoga, after he published what he alleged was evidence of its various unlawful practices. Mr Nga Etoga, a freelance reporter, published his findings on an online news website in 2016. In response, […]