|
Highlights of the year 2022
- 543 active cases.
- 188 new cases.
- 129 new emergency defence cases.
- 59 new strategic cases.
- 84% case success rate at international mechanisms.
- 18 active partner organisations.
- 59 lawyers trained.
- Legal Network for Journalists at Risk (LNJAR) launched.
|
|
|
Emergency Defence: trends & case studies
The most common case types were civil and criminal defamation. This is parallel to the global rise in strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) being used as a means to silence journalists. SLAPPs accounted for 41% of our caseload in 2022.
|
|
|
|
We supported the appeal proceedings in a civil defamation lawsuit against the Latvian non-profit investigative news outlet Re:Baltica. The case concerned a story published by Re:Baltica that exposed money-laundering activities by a prominent business person and political figure in Latvia.
|
|
|
Thai reporter Chutima Sidasathian has dedicated herself to reporting on corruption, abuse of power and the plights of rural communities and refugees, despite repeated attempts to silence her through intimidation and legal attacks. The cases against her are emblematic of the potential abuse of criminal defamation laws by those in positions of power.
|
|
Strategic Litigation: trends & case studies
In 2022, we took the most strategic cases in Azerbaijan, Colombia, Nigeria, Hungary and Russia. Most of our strategic cases related to electronic crimes, internet shutdowns and social media blocking, constitutional challenges and criminal defamation. We additionally represented one journalist and the family of another journalist who was killed, in two strategic cases that emerged from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as occupying forces targeted media covering the war.
|
|
|
Local legal capacity building
In 2022, we worked in partnership with 18 organisations operating in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Our support enabled our partners to litigate 509 cases across a range of freedom of expression issues, nationally and internationally. In addition to financial support, we provided legal support in a number of cases taken by partner organisations. Through our training programme, we also hosted 5 litigation surgeries through which we trained 59 lawyers.
|
|
|
|
Working with partners: the case of Human Rights Platform (HRP)
HRP is a Ukrainian NGO whose key priority is the protection of freedom of speech. HRP gives legal advice and represents the interests of journalists in Ukraine before both national courts and the European Court of Human Rights.
"Due to the support of Media Defence, we are able to continue providing legal assistance to journalists and media. Moreover, we are able to offer help to Media Defence in lodging applications before the European Court of Human Rights" - Oleksandra Stepanova, CEO of HRP.
|
|
|
Facing legal threats because of your journalism? We can help.
We support journalists – including citizen journalists, bloggers, broadcasters, photojournalists, cartoonists or fact-checkers – and news outlets when they are confronted with legal action as a result of their reporting.
|
|
|
The global threat to journalism
When independent journalists and media outlets are threatened with legal action, financial ruin, violence and imprisonment, they need somewhere to turn for concrete support. With your donation, we can be there to support more journalists than ever, as well as challenging the unjust laws through which they are silenced.
|
|
|
|
|
