Professor Can Yeğinsu joins Thomson Reuters Foundation Board of Trustees

The Thomson Reuters Foundation announces that Professor Can Yeğinsu has joined its UK Board of Trustees, bringing his exceptional expertise in international law, human rights, and media freedom to support the Foundation’s mission to strengthen free, fair and informed societies.

Professor Yeğinsu serves as Deputy Chair of The High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, the independent advisory body to the Media Freedom Coalition of States, of which the Thomson Reuters Foundation hosts the Secretariat. He has built global renown acting as lead counsel in landmark freedom of expression and journalistic protection cases before the UK Supreme Court, European Court of Human Rights, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and other international tribunals.

Alongside Amal Clooney and Caoilfhionn Gallagher, Professor Yeğinsu currently represents Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Ressa. He was lead counsel for the previously detained Egyptian dissident and writer Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who was freed in September.

Professor Yeğinsu teaches international law at Columbia Law School and Georgetown University Law Centre. He is a Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow at the International Claims and Reparations Project at Columbia Law which is currently advising the Government of Ukraine. He has also advised numerous media companies including Dow Jones, Bloomberg, and Vice.

An active participant at the Foundation’s media freedom events, Professor Yeğinsu is an upcoming speaker at its flagship forum Trust Conference, held in October, where he will be participating in a panel focused on the spread of foreign agent laws and their impact on a free press.

Welcoming Can to our UK Board of Trustees is a significant moment for the Foundation. We have long benefited from his deep knowledge spanning international law, human rights, and media freedom. Can’s powerful experience defending journalists and media organizations globally, combined with his renowned legacy of work, will provide TRF with the exceptional expertise and visionary insights we need to drive our mission forward

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Antonio ZappullaCEO, Thomson Reuters Foundation

I am honoured to be joining the Board of Trustees of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. TRF plays a unique and vital role at the intersection of impartial media, law, and human rights—championing free, fair and informed societies through its journalism, its convening power, and its global programmes. In today’s world, where truth and the rule of law are under increasing pressure, TRF’s mission could not be more essential.

As an international lawyer, I have seen first-hand the importance of TRF’s work in protecting journalists, strengthening the rule of law, and empowering communities worldwide. I look forward to contributing to the Foundation’s mission and to working with my fellow Trustees and the remarkable TRF team to deepen its impact in the years ahead.

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Professor Can Yeğinsu Deputy Chair, The High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom

As the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the Thomson Reuters Foundation is an independent charity offering initiatives and services that bolster the resilience of independent media, strengthen access to the law and foster responsible business practices.