Hungary: When the GDPR Became a Gagย
How the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union turned a six-year thicket of data-protection cases into a paradigm shift for press freedom To understand how Europe’s flagship data protection law has been turned into an instrument of press suppression in Hungary, Beatrix Vissy, a lawyer with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) gives us a metaphor. “For journalists reporting on matters of public interest should […]
Banned, Fined, Imprisoned: Saba Sutidze on Georgia’s Press Crackdown
In this edition of Press Freedom Advocates, Media Defence speaks with Saba Sutidze, a human rights and media lawyer at the Tolerance and Diversity Institute, about the escalating crackdown, the risks for journalists and civil society, and why legal support and strategic litigation are vital to defending Georgia’s democratic future. Spring 2024 brought Georgia to […]
Case Challenging Impunity in the Killing of Journalist Lรฉo Veras Reaches the IACHR Six Years After His Death
On the sixth anniversary of the killing of Brazilian journalist Lourenรงo โLรฉoโ Veras, the Institute for Environmental Law and Economics (Instituto de Derecho y Economรญa Ambiental – IDEA) and Media Defence have submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), concerning the responsibility of the Paraguayan State in relation to his death […]
French Court of Appeal Dismisses Surgeonโs Defamation Lawsuit Against Marsactu and Mediapart
Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal dismissed surgeon Michel Assorโs defamation lawsuit against Marsactu’s article published in 2024.
Khadija Ismayilova Secures Win against Azerbaijan at European Court
The European Court of Human Rights has found that the criminal conviction of Khadija Ismayilova, a renowned Azeri journalist and civil society activist, was baseless, unfair, and a violation of her right to freedom of expression. The Court has held that by bringing criminal charges against her, the Azeri authorities violated Articles 6, 7, 10, […]
Danileลฃ v. Romania: Sanction against Judge over Facebook posts held to Violate Freedom of Expression by ECtHR Grand Chamber
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has held that a disciplinary sanction imposed on the applicant, a judge, by the Romanian national judicial authorities for messages posted on his Facebook account violated his right to freedom of expression under Article 10 of the Convention. The applicant had posted two messages on […]
Azadliq Newspaper v. Azerbaijan: ECtHR finds Azerbaijan Failed in Press Freedom Case
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Azerbaijan violated the right to freedom of expression ofย Azadliq, a leading independent opposition newspaper. Azadliq was represented by Media Defence in the proceedings. The Court found thatย Azadliqโs reporting on alleged corruption addressed a matter of clear public interest and that the defamation award imposed on the […]
Arshad Sharif: 3 Years On Impunity Persists
Today marks three years since the killing of prominent Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif who was fatally shot at close range by Kenyan police at a roadblock near Nairobi. According to the authorities, police opened fire on the car Sharif was travelling in after allegedly mistaking it for a stolen vehicle they were pursuing. However, the […]
Watch our Webinar: From Judgments to Justice: Human Rights Bodies vs. Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
On Monday, 3 November 2025, Media Defence held a case-driven conversation on how regional courts and UN mechanisms can help in reducing impunity for crimes against journalists – and why achieving strong legal precedents and their implementation remain both an important tool as well as an ongoing challenge. Litigating cases of violence against journalists is […]
Media Defence amicus filed at ECtHR in Georgia Foreign Agent Law case
Media Defence has filed a third-party intervention at the European Court of Human Rights (โECtHRโ) in the case of Georgian Young Lawyersโ Association and Others v. Georgia. The case concerns a challenge to the Transparency on Foreign Influence Law which requires NGOs, print and broadcast media that receive a certain percentage of their annual income […]
Media Defence Submits Amicus Brief in Atresmedia v. Spain before the European Court of Human Rights
On 21 August 2025, Media Defence submitted anย amicus curiaeย brief to the European Court of Human Rights in the caseย Atresmedia Corporaciรณn de Medios de Comunicaciรณn S.A. v. Spain (Application no. 29807/25). The case concerns the decision of the Spanish electoral authorities to prohibit Atresmedia, a private television broadcaster, from airing a political debate on its own […]
Protecting Democracy Without Silencing Dissent: Media Defence submits written observations to the IACHR
On June 23, Media Defence submitted its written observations to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in response to the request for an advisory opinion presented by the Republic of Guatemala on โDemocracy and its Protection under the Inter-American System of Human Rights.โ Media Defence addressed the essential role of freedom of expression in the […]