The Media Freedom Coalition and its stakeholders, including the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, hosted or were involved in a series of events in New York in parallel with World Press Freedom Day on 3rd May.
Read about the events below.
The MFC’s Year in Review: how governments and embassies promoted media freedom – and what they learned
This event showcased and reflected on the past year of the MFC’s activities, highlighting what worked well and lessons from what didn’t, and discussed the range of actions member states can take to uphold media freedom. There was a focus on the diplomatic networks initiative, in which embassies of member states take joint actions to support media freedom where they are based.
Speakers included:
- Lina Attalah, Editor-in-Chief, Mada Masr
- Leopoldo Maldonado, Regional Director, Mexico and Central America, Article 19
- Jaymie Reyes, Senior Policy Officer – Politics & Human Rights/Law, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Philippines
- Sally-Ann Wilson, Public Media Alliance and member of the MFC Consultative Network
Beyond the Crisis: Embedding Safe Refuge for Journalists at Risk
This event, focusing on safe refuge for journalists, was co-hosted by the Government of Estonia, the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, and the Committee to Protect Journalists. Key actors in the MFC and their guests discussed what action has been taken, and what more needs to be done by States to open their doors to those who are risking their lives to keep us informed.
The speakers included:
- H.E. Märt Volmer, Undersecretary for Global Affairs at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
- Prof. Can Yeginsu, Barrister, Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
- Ms. Catherine Amirfar, Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
- Ms. Jodie Ginsberg, President, Committee to Protect Journalists
- Ambassador Minna-Liina Lind, Ambassador for Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
- Ms. Dunja Mijatovic, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
- Mr. Mohammad Mosaed, Iranian Journalist and 2020 International Press Freedom Awardee (CPJ)
Media Freedom in the Face of Blasphemy Laws
This event featured the launch of the On Religious Freedom and Discontent: Report on International Standards and Blasphemy Laws. The report is authored by Karuna Nundy, a member of the High Level Panel, and is the result of close collaboration with leading academic institutions from around the world, and examines national laws regulating expression that is characterized as ‘blasphemous’ and assesses the compatibility of those laws with media freedom.
Speakers included:
- Prof. Can Yeginsu, Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School, and Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
- Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, Director, IBA Human Rights Institute, and Member of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
- Hina Jilani, Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan, Member of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom,
- Karuna Nundy, Advocate, Supreme Court of India, Member of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, Report Author
- Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer, PEN America
