Justice Secretary Jack Straw has vetoed the release of minutes of cabinet meetings in the lead-up to the Iraq war. The Information Commissioner had previously ruled that the records should be released. Read more here
Justice minister Bridget Prentice has announced a consultation into costs in English libel cases. Speaking today, the minister said: 'The aim of these proposals is to bring more effective cost control to litigation in defamation proceedings and to...
Harry Nicolaides, the Australian author sentenced in January to three years in prison for defaming Thailand’s king in a little-known book published in 2005 flew back to Melbourne on the weekend of 21 January after receiving a royal pardon. The...
The acquittals in the Anna Politkovskaya murder case highlight a culture of impunity that must be brought to an end, writes Tanya Lokshina The trial of three men charged in connection with the murder of Anna Politkovskaya is over. The defendants...
Four men charged in connection with the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya have been acquitted by a Moscow court. Read more here
Controversial American preacher Fred Phelps has been banned from entering the UK. Phelps, leader of the vehemently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, had planned to come to Britain to protest against a play condemning homophobic violence. Read more...
An Oxford University study has found that conditional fee agreements are proving a bar to UK newspapers defending libel actions. Read more here
US senators Joe Lieberman and Arlen Specter have introduced the Free Speech Protection Act to the Senate. The act is designed to protect journalists, and would give courts the ability to bar enforcement of foreign libel judgments if the material at...
A blanket ban on reporting about superior court judges was implemented by high court judge Mian Najamuz Zaman in Lahore on 13 February. This decision came after journalist, Ansar Abbasi, wrote a report linking a high court judge with an organised...
The Italian government is attempting to make web-based dissent a crime, says Cecilia Anesi A new bill has come before the Senate, giving the interior ministry the power to order Internet providers to remove criminal content within 24 hours or face...