The Sciences Po Law School Clinic has joined a global effort to bolster the freedom of the press, in association with an international network of academic institutions and a distinguished panel, led by Lord Neuberger and Amal Clooney.
Sciences Po has joined the Global Campaign for Media Freedom and will play a leading role in developing legal tools to protect journalists and defend the freedom of the press alongside its project partners, including a High Panel of legal experts led by Lord Neuberger, former President of the Supreme Court of the UK, and Amal Clooney, special envoy on media freedom to the UK Foreign Secretary.
The Law School Clinic will be part of a legal network which will generate a series of landmark reports on model laws that set out international human rights standards. These standards will guide the formulation and application of criminal and civil laws frequently used to target journalists and stifle media freedom around the world.
The network, which includes the University of Toronto, King’s College London, Columbia Law School, and Korea University, will collaborate to ensure the reports have comprehensive jurisdictional coverage.
Sciences Po students will be involved in researching and drafting a report on the impact of counter terrorism and public order legislations and measures on media freedom. Anne Charbord, Jeanne Sulzer and Jeremy Perelman will be working together on these efforts at the Law School, in collaboration with Nadim Houry, founder and director of Arab Reform Initiative and member of the High Level panel. The report will also examine measures adopted to protect public order, including national security, which also impact on the rights of those exercising media freedoms.
The Project is part of a larger international media freedom campaign, which builds upon the work of the Global Conference for Media Freedom in July 2019 organised by the Canadian and UK governments.
“The Sciences Po Law School Clinic is honoured to be at the forefront of this important initiative,” said Jeremy Perelman, Associate Professor at Sciences Po and Director of the Clinic. “Working internationally with top legal scholars, lawyers, journalists, media advocates, and governments on these challenging contemporary issues will provide a unique and valuable learning experience for our students.”
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Photo: Threats against freedom of press, a concept Credits: © Olaf Speier // Shutterstock https://www.sciencespo.fr/en/news/news/a-global-partnership-to-protect-media-freedom/4481