Media Defence

We provide legal support to help journalists and media outlets worldwide to defend their rights.

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

Media Defence is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sara Mendiola, executive director of Propuesta Cívica, who died on 5 September 2026 at the age of 41. Read our obituary here: https://t.co/eiqwfEwcmi

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

We're attending the Central America Donors Forum in Guatemala City, 29 Sept – 1 Oct. We look forward to connecting with partners and peer organisations. Let us know if you are attending too! Reach out via our social media or email us [email protected]

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

Courts worldwide have ruled that internet shutdowns violate fundamental rights, yet enforcement lags further behind. Sign up to our webinar, in collaboration with @accessnow, on 28 Sep, marking the International Day for Universal Access to Information: https://t.co/YSFPCf3IpQ

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

Our latest newsletter honours Thai journalist Dr Chutima Sidasathian, whose legal defence we have supported since 2015. It also covers the press freedom situation in North Macedonia, Peru's Anti-NGO Law, and much more. Get it in your inbox: https://t.co/NUti9RjGfW

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

Our thoughts are with Daphne Caruana Galizia's family and legal team, who have pursued justice for her murder for almost nine years. We stand with all those continuing this fight for accountability in cases of violence against journalists.

[IPI - The Global Network for Independent Media @globalfreemedia]

🇲🇹 #Malta: IPI is devastated by the not guilty verdict in the trial of Yorgen Fenech, charged with masterminding the 2017 murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The jury cleared him of both charges eight-to-one after eight hours of deliberation.

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

Introducing Breaking Ground, a new series about the impact of our work and that of our partners. First up is Ripostes, the first legal aid fund dedicated to supporting independent media in France, launched with @Fondspresslibre
https://t.co/BfnLhaeGje

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

Today is the UN's International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Of the 95 journalists who have been disappeared worldwide, 28 went missing in Mexico. Read about @PropuestaCivica work seeking justice for the disappeared and their families: https://t.co/DB0FnO6eii

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

@ColumbiaGFoE has released a new edition of its Case Law Collections on the Inter-American and European human rights systems: 60 and 72 decisions, tracing how courts are shaping freedom of expression today. Read more here: https://t.co/EmzuzmL0lY

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

North Macedonia dropped to 45th place in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, moving from a “satisfactory” to a “problematic” rating. Media Defence spoke to lawyer Bojana Davitkovska about the state of press freedom in the country: https://t.co/7eLmUNeK0j

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

We are deeply saddened by the death of Dr Chutima 'Oi' Sidasathian. She dedicated her life to reporting on Rohingya trafficking and corruption, refusing to be silenced even as she faced criminal charges:

https://t.co/LOb21eBHzG

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

🚨 After the earthquake in Colombia, journalists face high-risk zones and unstable communications while covering the emergency. Our partner @FLIP_org compiled key safety recommendations for journalists reporting on the ground. Read here 👇
https://t.co/q1sTGm5ce5

[Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP) @FLIP_org]

En medio de la emergencia derivada del #terremoto en Colombia, periodistas y medios enfrentan el reto de informar en zonas de alto riesgo. Por eso, es fundamental tomar medidas para cuidar la seguridad y reducir los riesgos durante la cobertura de esta emergencia.

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

Our Legal Consultant Marta Cabrera shares reflections on a workshop she led at @FestivalGabo in collaboration with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Thank you to the festival and all participants who joined the discussion. Read more on our website

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

Most of Peru's investigative outlets rely on foreign funding to report on corruption. A recent law lets the state approve or block their work before it starts.

Five newsrooms are challenging it.

Read more about the law and the fight to overturn it: https://t.co/YxNofaK46k

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

@CPJAmericas @CarlosDada @elfaro @pressfreedom Congratulations to @CarlosDada! El Faro's investigative work has been essential reading on corruption and organised crime in Central America for over 25 years. A well-earned recognition.

[Media Defence @mediadefence]

@PropuestaCivica Informe fundamental. La impunidad sigue siendo uno de los mayores obstáculos para la libertad de prensa en la región. Gracias por documentarlo.

[CPJ Europe and Central Asia @CPJ_Eurasia]

Read more about the case against Tapdig and nearly a dozen of her @MeydanTV colleagues, in #Azerbaijan's unprecedented crackdown on the free press ⤵️
https://t.co/7zlmKmb941

[CPJ Europe and Central Asia @CPJ_Eurasia]

CPJ is concerned by reports that jailed Azerbaijani journalist Aytaj Tapdig of @MeydanTV is being denied medical examination and treatment for a deviated septum and breathing difficulties worsened by harsh prison conditions.

#Azerbaijan must ensure adequate medical care for Tapdig and other jailed journalists. All 24 wrongly jailed journalists in Azerbaijan should be released immediately.
https://t.co/qnJVbIG4kX

[Human Rights Solidarity @SolidarityHR]

🚨URGENT: Journalist Aytaj Tapdig’s Health is Deteriorating in Detention

We are urgently appealing for advocacy support for Aytaj Tapdig (Aytaj Ahmadova), a journalist for @MeydanTV , whose health is in serious decline while being held in a pre-trial detention facility in Azerbaijan.

Aytaj’s health is worsening under horrific conditions.

Breathing Difficulties: She suffers from a deviated nasal septum, a condition that has become unbearable due to her environment .

Dependency on Medication: In just 20 months of detention, she has been forced to use 80 bottles of nasal spray, an extreme dependency to breathe .

Deliberately Harsh Environment: The facility was built on a drained lake, leading to highly humid air that severely aggravates her breathing problems .

Denied Medical Care: Despite requests from her lawyer and appeals to the prison’s chief physician, she has been told that the Ministry of Justice does not employ an ENT specialist, effectively depriving her of necessary medical treatment . Her formal requests for an examination have been ignored .

The struggle is both personal and political.

Political Prisoner: Aytaj is one of at least 24 journalists and media workers imprisoned in an unprecedented crackdown on independent media in Azerbaijan . The charges against her and her colleagues are widely considered politically motivated .

International Concern: Her worsening situation has already prompted alarm from major organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) , who have demanded she receive urgent medical care .

For the first time, we can see exactly where she is being held. Using maps, we have confirmed the precise location of the building where she is being kept within the Baku Pretrial Detention Center No. 1.

📍 Location: She is held in a small building behind the main three-story octagonal detention block. The white area attached to the right side of the building is the outdoor exercise yard where she is taken every day.

📌 Google Maps Location: https://t.co/BYiFxO9EgI

Share this post and the location widely.

Contact members of the European Parliament, PACE, and international human rights organizations, urging them to amplify this call for help.

We sincerely hope for your support in this critical moment.

@UN @UNHumanRights @UNGeneva @UN_Women @FreeAbzasMedia @elnaragasimova_ @ECPMF @AP @TheEconomist @nytimes @thetimes @ElchRights @DrAlakbarov @RukhshanaMedia @Anarmammadali @PhilipObaji @ICJ_org @accessnow @amnesty @politico_media @HRF @CommissionerHR @IHRF_English @EP_HumanRights

[IFEX @IFEX]

#Palestine A people is more than a death toll. @VisualizingPal and @kontinentalist_ have created “Gaza Lives” a visual documentation of what the genocide is erasing from Palestinian culture, and what survives. https://t.co/9xKZVCVPYI

[RSF @RSF_inter]

#Russia: Vladimir Putin has signed a new law targeting Russians in exile who are listed as “foreign agents” or allegedly linked to "undesirable organisations.” Many of them are journalists. RSF condemns yet another tactic to repress news from independent sources. https://t.co/sElVpSAOSn