CLOSE
European Implementation Network
We work with the European Implementation Network (EIN) in their project focused on safeguarding freedom of expression in the Council of Europe member States. As a participant to this project, we are dedicated to promoting this fundamental right and the effective implementation of the relevant judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as to advocating for reforms aimed at effectively protecting free speech.
Strategic Litigation News
See All
15 Years of Impact: Internet Shutdowns
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…
European Court of Human Rights issues judgment in Hurbain v Belgium, expanding the application of the ‘right to be forgotten’
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…
European Court of Human Rights issues important judgment on the right to protest in Bryan and others v. Russia
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…
Santiago O’Donnell: A landmark judgment for the protection of sources
On 22 June, Santiago O’Donnell won his appeal before the Supreme Court in Argentina, defending his right not to surrender his source materials. The judgment is a landmark one, asserting that the decision to make public the content of interviews remains with the journalist, rather than the interviewee. The case Back in 2021, we began…
ECtHR Grand Chamber decision in Sanchez v France raises serious concerns over online speech
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has handed down its judgment in Sanchez v France. Media Defence intervened with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in the case. The relevant events took place in 2011 and 2012. The applicant, a politician, was charged with the offence of incitement to hatred or violence following…
Media Defence intervenes before Colombian Constitutional Court in a challenge to the law on criminal defamation
Media Defence has filed an intervention before the Constitutional Court of Colombia in a constitutional challenge to two provisions of the Colombian Penal Code. Under Articles 220 and 221 of the Penal Code, individuals accused of making “dishonourable accusations” can face up to four-and-a-half years in jail. Those accused of libel face up to six…
