Each theme contains useful resources for lawyers on freedom of expression, click below to get started.
An overview of the multi-faceted right to freedom of expression and how it is protected under international law.
Understanding digital rights is crucial to protecting human rights, as little of our lives today is immune from the forces of technology and the internet.
An overview of the ways in which access to the internet and online content are restricted around the world.
An overview of freedom of expression issues in the law, including how defamation is treated in domestic and international law.
An overview of the right to privacy, data protection, and protecting freedom of expression in a digital world.
Describes the different types of cybercrimes, tracks the trends, and evaluates how cybercrimes are dealt with in international law.
An overview of hate speech and how it is dealt with both under domestic and international law.
An overview of the ways in which access to content and freedom of expression online are restricted by private actors.
An overview of false news, misinformation and propaganda, including causes and potential solutions..
An overview of the various rights and concepts which encompass digital rights.
Freedom of expression is a protected fundamental human right, but it is increasingly under threat due to dramatic changes to the media and information eco-system occasioned by the rise of the internet.
View this themeThe High Court of South Africa overturned a protection order granted by a Cape Town Magistrate’s Court that prevented a woman from speaking about her rape by her ex-boyfriend.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights held that Costa Rica’s criminal defamation law violated the American Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of expression.
The Constitutional Court of South Africa held that a provision creating criminal liability for hate speech was unconstitutional, holding that hate speech must be both harmful or incite harm and promote hatred.
The South Gauteng High Court in South Africa ruled that a journalist should not be required to reveal their sources and that doing so would infringe on the freedom of the press.
The East African Court of Justice found that a Burundian law that restricted disseminating information that may be seen to be critical of the state, and forced journalists to reveal their sources was a violation of the EAC Treaty.
The South Gauteng High Court in South Africa held that the failure of a political party to condemn its supporters’ harassment of and threats against a journalist violated the South African Electoral Code.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights held that Zimbabwe violated various rights by using force instead of seeking a Court order to stop a media outlet from operating illegally under a media registration law.
The European Court of Human Rights held that the right to freedom of expression included the right to access information under the control of public authorities.
The High Court of South Africa ordered the Black First Land First organization to refrain from acts of intimidation, harassment, and threats directed at certain journalists.
The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights held that legislation which introduced an onerous regime for the accreditation of journalists infringed the rights to freedom of expression and to receive information.