Strategic Litigation

In October 2023, Media Defence filed Nika Gvaramia’s case at the European Court of Human Rights, challenging his unlawful detention and the denial of his right to a fair trial.  Background In May 2022, Nika Gvaramia, a prominent and award-winning Georgian journalist and leading opposition politician, was convicted of abuse of power and sentenced to…

The ECOWAS Court has issued its decision following an application by the lawyers for the applicants; Association Des Blogueurs De Guinee (ABLOGUI), Association Villageois 2.0, Ligue Guineenne Des Droits De L’Homme and Centre Africain De Formation et D’Information Sur Les Droits Humains et L’Environment for judgment in default of defence. The case was filed at…

The UK Supreme Court has heard argument over two days in the case of George v Cannell and another. The question the Court has to decide is - What does a claimant need to demonstrate to rely on s3(1) of the Defamation Act 1952 in a claim for malicious falsehood? The Facts The respondent sued the…

This year marks Media Defence’s 15th anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, we will be taking a look at the ways in which freedom of expression has been threatened around the world, and how we have sought to protect it. The internet has become an essential part of modern life. It has transformed the way we…

On 4 July 2023, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) Grand Chamber delivered its judgment in the case of Hurbain v Belgium. The judgment upheld the lower chamber’s finding that an order to anonymise the subject of an article did not violate the publisher’s freedom of expression. Media Defence, along with a number of…

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has today issued its decision in the case of Bryan and others v. Russia. The ECtHR found that Russia had violated the applicants’ rights to freedom of expression and to liberty and security by arresting and detaining them following the protest organised by Greenpeace activists on its Arctic…