The ultimate assault on free speech

October 19th, 2009

Law firm Carter-Ruck’s super-injunction to attempt to stop the reporting of a question on the Trafigura affair in Parliament has galvanised MPs and other bodies to take up the fight for freedom of expression. John Kampfner reports
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Privacy: courts do not keep records of injunction

October 16th, 2009

An answer to a parliamentary question by Paul Farrelly MP has revealed that the high court does not keep a record of the number of injunctions granted against the press. In the current edition of The Economist, media lawyer Mark Stephens says he estimates that between 200 and 300 injunction are in action at any one time. Read more here

Carter-Ruck backs down on Guardian parliamentary reporting

October 13th, 2009

Index on Censorship has learned that law firm Carter-Ruck has backed down in an attempt to stop media from reporting on a parliamentary question concerning a previous injunction. The gag had caused outrage on the Internet, with many Twitter users defying the injunction to post information on the case.

Update: Read the letter Index on Censorship sent to the courts in support of the Guardian here

Guardian loses legal challenge against Barclays gagging order

March 19th, 2009

The Guardian has lost a high court challenge to lift an emergency gagging order imposed on the publication of Barclays bank documents alleged to detail huge tax avoidance schemes. (more…)