Statement by the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom

05/05/2021

The International Bar Association Human Rights Institute has been appointed as the Secretariat to the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, an independent body that was convened at the request of the United Kingdom and Canadian governments. The High Level Panel comprises a diverse group of leading lawyers from around the world. The Chair is Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury and the Deputy Chair is Amal Clooney.

The remit of the Panel is to provide advice and recommendations to governments to prevent and reverse abuses of media freedom. The Panel will propose initiatives that can be taken by governments to ensure existing international obligations relating to media freedom are upheld, disseminate elements for model legislation to promote and protect a vibrant free press, and report on means of raising the cost to those who target journalists for their work.

More information regarding the panel is available here.

The Panel released a statement entitled "The Need for Independent Judges and a Free Press in a Democracy" on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2021, which is available here.