Topic: Freedom of press / Censorship
-
Challenge to the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act
In July of 2023, President Emmerson Mnagagwa signed the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act into law, now commonly referred to as the Patriotic Act. The act classified “wilfully injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe” as a crime which in turn, criminalized Zimbabwe civil society, human rights defenders and journalists who criticize the…
-
Carlos Ávila Case
Carlos Eduardo Ávila Aguilera is a journalist, writer, high school teacher, and political leader in Choluteca, Honduras. He has faced prolonged legal persecution since 2007 when he published articles in media outlets about the complaints of sexual harassment filed by four underage students against a professor at the José Cecilio del Valle Institute. For more…
-
Schirlei Alves Case
Schirlei Alves is journalist targeted with six different lawsuits because she published a newspaper article denouncing the Brazilian justice system’s institutional violence and revictimization against Mariana Ferrer, a victim of sexual violence. The article referred to the abundance of gender stereotypes and other legal irregularities during Ferrer’s trial. After a defamation lawsuit was filed by…
-
Norma Sancir Case
Indigenous journalist Norma Sancir was detained and beaten when she was covering a demonstration in September 2014. More than eight years later, the criminal procedure against the four police agents responsible for the attack is still on-going, as a result of intentional delays caused by the agents’ defense.
-
The case of Nine Women Journalists in Colombia
Nine women journalists from Colombia filed a tutela petition, asking for measures to be taken in order to protect them from the online sexist attacks they had been suffering, as a result of their work disseminating information of public interest or related to the actions of different political parties and actors. In May 2023, the…
-
Mexican General Law of Social Communication
The General Law of Communication, which was passed on May 11, 2018, did not comply with international standards on freedom of expression, access to information and government advertising. Even though a 2017 Supreme Court ruling ordered the Congress to fix these issues, the latest changes to the Law are still contrary to international standards.
-
Ferdinand Ayité (L’Alternative) v. the Attorney General
This case concerns a violation of the freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Togo, in which Mr. Ferdinand Ayité and his newspaper, L’Alternative, face criminal proceedings for denouncing corruption within members of the public organization Petroleum Product Price Fluctuation Monitoring Committee (CSFPP).
-
Sonny Figueroa and Marvin del Cid Case
Sonny Figueroa and Marvin del Cid are two renowned Guatemalan journalists, who founded the media outlets Artículo 35 and Vox Populi, which play an important role in the oversight of the Guatemalan government’s use of public resources. In this role, they have exposed major corruption scandals, which has resulted in constant attacks, threats, criminalization and…
-
SERAP v. National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Director-General of the NBC and the Minister of Information
The Nigerian government posed an indefinite ban on Twitter after the social media platform deleted tweets from the President. The case challenges this ban, arguing that it violates the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom under the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International…
-
Rubens Valente v. Brasil
Rubens Valente is a journalist who published a book regarding a corruption case that involved banker Daniel Dantas, the Brazilian government and the judiciary. Three months after the publication, a judge mentioned in the book sued Valente. After several appeals, the journalist was ordered to pay R$100,000 and include the condemnatory decision in future editions…