Posts Tagged ‘Simon Singh’
January 21st, 2010
*Please note change in date, originally listed as 22 February
An appeal against a 2008 ruling handed down by Mr Justice Eady in favour of the British Chiropractic Association. It pursued Singh for libel after he wrote an article published in The Guardian that criticised the view that chiropractors can cure disease by manipulating the spine.
Hearing date: 23 February 2010*
Judges and court: Court of Appeal; Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger, Lord Justice Sedley.
December 11th, 2009
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, is to chair the bench in what could be a landmark hearing for libel law in England. Lord Judge will preside over science writer Simon Singh’s appeal against an earlier ruling on meaning in the case he is defending against the British Chiropractic Association.
Read more
here
November 5th, 2009
Launch of the Libel Reform campaign and the English PEN and Index on Censorship “Free Speech Is Not For Sale” report
12 – 2pm, 10th November 09. Light lunch provided.
Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3GA
Index on Censorship and English PEN fear:
“We’re becoming a global free speech pariah”
“Our libel laws allow people accused of funding terrorism or dumping toxic waste in Africa to silence their critics whilst ‘super-injunctions’ stop the public from even knowing that such allegations exist. We need to reform our libel laws now, and that’s why we’re launching a national campaign to persuade our politicians to do so.”
Jonathan Heawood, Director of English PEN
“If we don’t act we’re at risk of becoming a global pariah. There are US States who view English libel law as so damaging to free speech they have passed laws to effectively block the decisions of English judges. Our report is an important milestone in modernising our antiquated and chilling approach to free expression.”
John Kampfner, the CEO of Index on Censorship
English PEN and Index on Censorship will be publishing their report on English libel law reform, and launching the Libel Reform campaign, at the Free Word Centre on 10 November.
English PEN and Index on Censorship have been looking into these issues in detail for over a year now and it has become increasingly clear that English libel law and the use of ‘super-injunctions’ are having a profoundly negative impact on freedom of expression, both in the UK and abroad. Writers such as Simon Singh, and respected current affairs programme Newsnight, have found themselves facing defamation suits, whilst human rights campaigners are often forced to edit and retract articles in the face of potential libel action.
The Libel Reform campaign will bring together Index on Censorship and English PEN to mount a national campaign with a website launched on 10 November to persuade politicians from all parties of the importance of reforming these unjust laws.
Update: Read the Independent’s interview with Index on Censorship’s John Kampfner here
October 15th, 2009
Simon Singh, the science writer who yesterday (Oct 14) won the right to appeal a preliminary judgment in a case brought against him by the British Chiropractic Association, has been accused of “maliciously” attacking the organisation.
In a statement published on its website, the BCA claimed its defamation suit was not an attack on free speech. The statement continued:
“The BCA supports and would never seek to stifle legitimate open scientific debate. However, this action is actually a simple libel claim based on the fact that the BCA was maliciously attacked by Dr. Singh in the Guardian newspaper. When given the opportunity to retract his words and apologise, Dr. Singh refused. This claim has been brought to restore the good reputation of the BCA and that of its members.”
More at Jack of Kent
UPDATE: The BCA has
redrafted its statement, replacing the words “maliciously attacked” with “libelled”.
October 14th, 2009
A court ruling today affirmed science writer Simon Singh’s right to free expression. It grants him leave to appeal Mr Justice Eady’s ruling against him in a libel action brought by the British Chiropractic Association, reports Padraig Reidy
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August 10th, 2009
Science writer Simon Singh is set go to an oral hearing at the Court of Appeal later this year seeking permission to challenge an earlier decision by the court not to allow an appeal over a libel action, according to legal sources. This latest application will mean a new hearing by the Court of Appeal on October 14 over a piece published in the Guardian this April that was challenged by The British Chiropractic Association. Read more
here
July 31st, 2009
Science writer Simon Singh has been refused leave to appeal Mr Justice Eady’s decision on meaning in Singh’s legal battle with the British Chiropractic Association (BCA).
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May 7th, 2009
The English High Court has ruled that science writer Simon Singh, must show that the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) was deliberately dishonest in promoting chiropractic as a treatment for various children’s ailments.
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