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Annual Report 2016

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Annual Report 2016 Annual Report 2016 2 Annual Review 2016 Our Theory of Change Intro MLDI provides quality legal defence to journalists in need MLDI conducts strategic litigation to advance media freedom standards Journalists face legal Journalists and media are challenges that threaten able to publish on issues their ability to report of public interest freely and independently MLDI supports partners to deliver media defence projects A better informed citizenry able to hold their governments accountable MLDI provides specialist training to lawyers on freedom of expression law 2 Annual Review 2016 Introduction MLDI defends and fosters 2016 saw a sharp decline in press freedom around the 2016 also saw some important positive developments. a free media throughout world. Media freedom in Turkey, already severely curtailed, Several courts demonstrated significant willingness to the world by providing legal was decimated (see page 17), while press freedom defend the right to freedom of expression in the face of deteriorated in nearly two-thirds of countries according to restrictive legislation or executive action to limit media support. We do this by Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index. freedom. Over the year, MLDI won journalists and bloggers administering an emergency Journalists continued to be imprisoned. MLDI supported their freedom and gained ground-breaking judgments at defence fund available cases of journalists imprisoned in Turkey, Azerbaijan, national and international courts. We worked to widen the to independent media, Ethiopia, Macedonia and Vietnam – among others. Reports space for media freedom and freedom of expression, and journalists and bloggers of torture and ill-treatment of journalists and bloggers in to keep the digital space free, open and secure. You can read in need of legal support; detention continued to surface in many of our cases, for about award winning journalist, Khadija Ismayilova’s release by taking strategic cases example in Azerbaijan and Egypt. Physical violence and from prison on page 19, a rare win at the national courts in harassment of journalists and bloggers continued and often Russia on page 10 and our work on digital rights on page 20. to challenge repressive laws and expand the went uninvestigated. For example, MLDI supported the space for media freedom; and, in countries where cases of murdered Russian journalists Akhmednabyev and We are proud of our success rate, fully or partially meeting the threat of legal action is high and constant, Kamalov, in which state authorities failed to investigate our case objectives in over 70% of the cases we supported by providing financial and technical support to their murders. in 2016. Over the year, MLDI spent £3.4m on our activities partner organisations to establish or increase their and operations; 86p of each pound spent was on charitable capacity to provide legal defence to journalists The trend of ‘regulating’ internet content and online activity activities.We are even more proud of our partnerships continued, often without the necessary protections for with the dedicated media freedom activists and lawyers we in their home countries. We also provide training journalism and journalistic work. In 2016 an increasing worked with. In 2016 MLDI partnered with 10 organisations and capacity building support to lawyers. proportion of our cases related to digital rights. New overly around the world to defend media in their countries, broad or unclear cybercrimes legislation and other laws supporting their daily fight to defend media. We remain that relate to publishing on the internet were introduced in humbled by the brave and inspiring journalists we work several countries. For example, in Pakistan, where MLDI to support, who provide the public with information on supported a challenge to the Prevention of Electronic matters of genuine public interest and contribute to the Crimes Bill, which entered into force in August 2016 and free flow of information and ideas that is so critical to the in Tanzania where MLDI supported a constitutional development of a free and well informed society. challenge to the Cyber Crimes Act. MLDI also challenged internet shutdowns, for example in Uganda in a case that Lucy Freeman was continuing at the end of the year. Chief Executive Officer 4 Annual Review 2016 Annual Review 2016 5 Emergency Defence Fund MLDI’s Emergency Defence Fund provides journalists, The majority of the cases directly supported during the 2. Hubsad newspaper, Somaliland. MLDI supported CASES IN 2016 bloggers and independent media financial support to year were in Sub-Saharan Africa which accounted for over Hubsad Newspaper which faced spurious charges of defend cases against them. MLDI also offers substantive a third of cases. We also continued to support a significant false news and publishing with a defective license. 60 new cases in 26 countries support which can range from legal representation before number of cases in Asia-Pacific (particularly from India With our support, Hubsad engaged a local lawyer and national and international courts to providing research and Malaysia) as well as a small number of cases from the fought the case, which was eventually dismissed by Azerbaijan 1 Kenya 2 memos, case strategy and drafting of filings. In 2016 we MENA region and Latin America. the domestic court. Bahrain 1 Latvia 1 supported 60 new cases, and with many cases from previous Burundi 1 Macedonia 1 3. Jaison Sang, Colombia. Jaison Sang was charged with years still ongoing, this brought our case load for the year to Cases can involve many stages of appeal and can take years Cameroon 1 Montenegro 1 slander following a series of articles he published in a total of 196. to conclude. In 29 cases, where an effective remedy was Colombia 2 Pakistan 1 2010 highlighting possible corruption and illegal use of not available at the national level, MLDI supported cases Egypt 1 Russia 19 funds by a family welfare organisation. Although the case During the year, we directly supported cases in 52 countries at international and regional courts such as the European El Salvador 1 Somalia 2 was lost at the first instance, our partner organisation across the world. The countries with the highest number Court of Human Rights or The East African Court of Ethiopia 1 Spain 1 in Colombia - Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa of directly supported cases during the year were:1 Justice. Despite the challenging and sometimes dangerous France 1 Tanzania 4 (Foundation for Press Freedom or FLIP) appealed to circumstances journalists supported by MLDI continued Hungary 1 Turkey 2 the Supreme Court, resulting in a judgment in which all • Russia (31 cases), where we have continued to support to face in 2016, the year saw many successes litigated charges against Jaison Sang were dismissed. India 3 Uganda 2 independent media outlets and NGOs subjected to before both domestic and international courts. 69 of the Indonesia 2 United Kingdom 1 arbitrary application of draconian laws; cases supported by MLDI came to a close during the year, 4. Malaysiakini, Malaysia. Independent online news outlet, Italy 6 Vietnam 1 successfully meeting the case objectives (either fully or Malaysiakini, had extensively reported on the use of • Azerbaijan (15 cases), where fabricated criminal charges partially) 71% of the time. cyanide and other chemicals in gold mining in the Raub are used to target journalists who dare to criticise the district of Malaysia, and the environmental and health 69 cases concluded from 34 countries government, and independent media continue to face implications this has had on the residents in the area. legal action aimed at ending their work; Success Stories Angola 1 India 2 Somalia 2 In 2012, the Raub Australian Gold Mining (RAGM) 1. Agil Khalil, Azerbaijan. MLDI supported Azerbaijani Armenia 1 Italy 1 South Africa 2 • Kenya (11 cases), where we continue to defend journalists company sued Malaysiakini and three of its journalists journalist Agil Khalil in his application to the European Azerbaijan 3 Kazakhstan 1 Spain 1 and bloggers against defamation suits that carry the for defamation. The court ruled that the defamation Court of Human Rights after he suffered a violent Bahrain 1 Kenya 3 Sri Lanka 1 threat of hefty damages, and support constitutional claims against Malaysiakini and its journalists were attack while taking photos for a story. The Azerbaijani Burkina Faso 1 Latvia 6 Swaziland 1 challenges to criminal provisions used to clamp down on unfounded as they practised responsible journalism and Government agreed to pay compensation for the human Burundi 1 Liberia 1 Tanzania 2 publications that are critical of those in power. the case was dismissed. In addition, RAGM was ordered rights violations Agil suffered. In doing so, the state Cameroon 1 Malaysia 1 Togo 1 to pay the legal fees of RM50,000 (USD$11,500). formally admitted before the Court that it breached China 1 Myanmar 1 Uganda 1 2016 saw MLDI receive a record number of cases coming his human rights, including his right to freedom of Colombia 3 Pakistan 2 United Kingdom 3 from countries within Europe (including the Caucasus expression, his right to life, and his right to freedom Egypt 3 Russia 14 Zambia 3 region), reflective of a worrying decline in press freedom from ill-treatment. France 1 Samoa 1 in the region. 1 MLDI also supported a significant number of cases indirectly through its partners, Germany 1 Singapore 1 as detailed on page 22. 6 Annual Review 2016 Annual Review 2016 7 MLDI Achievements
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