Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) - Support Centres

Media Defence (also known as MLDI) provides legal defence to independent media, journalists and bloggers around the world who are under threat for their reporting. MLDI does this by administering an emergency defence fund, helping journalists, bloggers and independent media pay legal fees, and provides legal expertise to the lawyer(s) defending a case. 

MLDI also engages in strategic litigation to challenge repressive laws and expand the space for media freedom. Through this, it seeks to advance respect for international law and norms on the right to freedom of expression. MLDI submits cases to domestic courts and international tribunals and intervenes in cases already under way, as well as supporting national lawyers to do the same.

In countries where the threat of legal action is high and constant, MLDI provides financial support and legal expertise to national organisations that provide legal defence services to journalists.

MLDI also runs training and networking programmes for lawyers in the fields of media law and human rights. 

E-mail: info@mediadefence.org

Observatory of Media Freedom (Poland) - Support Centres

'The Observatory of Media Freedom in Poland' is a legal program founded by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR) in 2008 and operates in Poland. Its focus is on the protection related to freedom of expression in traditional media as well as on the Internet. 

The program provides legal aid concerning inter alia issues such as criminal defamation, press law offences, protection of journalistic sources of information, the liability of the Internet service providers etc. During court proceedings, the ‘Observatory’ can as well arrange pro bono legal assistance for journalists who cannot afford to pay for regular legal aid.

Freedom of Information Guidebook - Reports

The guidebook explains how the right to access information is legally protected in Georgia, and on which grounds it can be restricted, providing everyday life examples

Police Violence and Press Freedom in Greece - Reports

Police violence was a key topic of IPI’s November 2015 mission to Greece, carried out with the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO). The visit highlighted how police violence against photojournalists is increasingly coupled with impunity. The report by SEEMO and IPI examines this trend.

Journalism is not terrorism - Legal Resources

Despite ruling that the UK's Terrorism Act is incompatible with human rights and more protection is needed for journalists, Britain's Court of Appeal also ruled authorities were justified in detaining a reporter and confiscating his equipment at Heathrow Airport

Front Line Defenders - Stakeholders

Front Line Defenders was founded in Dublin in 2001 with the specific aim of protecting human rights defenders at risk, people who work, non-violently, for any or all of the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Front Line Defenders addresses the protection needs identified by defenders themselves and provides them with practical support.  

E-learning on Defamation Law and European Human Rights Standards - Training

A video e-learning series by IPI and MLDI for lawyers and journalists on European legal standards related to freedom of expression and the protection of reputation

German Press Council deals with coverage of refugee crisis and footage of murder - Legal Resources

Dealing with complaints about the coverage of the refugee crisis, the German Press Council legitimizes the use of emotional pictures if they serve the public interest by showing the result of war and the risky business with smuggling gangs

Representation of minorities in the new media - Reports

A study published by Media Observatory presents a content analysis of coverage of minorities by prominent online media outlets in four Balkan countries

Discourse in danger. Attacks on free expression in Putin's Russia - Reports

The report “Discourse in danger. Attacks on free expression in Putin's Russia” illustrates the increasing effort by the Russian government to shape the information space, from the Internet, to children’s literature, to any independent cultural spaces, including theater and academia