Legal Threats Against Lawyers Protecting Journalists: Preliminary Findings

As ‘lawfare’ against journalists escalates in intensity and complexity, lawyers play a critical role in safeguarding free and independent media. As a result, they are themselves becoming the targets of a wide range of attacks that seek to undermine these efforts. Despite this, the persecution of lawyers on account of their representation of journalists has not been an area of extensive study. The American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights, Media Defence and the Thomson Reuters Foundation have partnered to conduct a review of individual cases of harassment or persecution of lawyers defending journalists. This preliminary report highlights trends that have been identified from the initial findings.