Politicians should have thick skins, judge rules in ‘bitchy’ councillor case – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 4th, 2012 in freedom of expression, internet, local government, news by tracey

“People have a right to lampoon and criticise politicians and public officials under the Human Rights Act, the High Court has ruled.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 4th May 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Internet freedom ‘under threat from hasty legislation in UK and US’ – The Guardian

Posted May 2nd, 2012 in freedom of expression, intellectual property, internet, media, news by sally

“Head of global media observation group says many countries are trying to restrict internet freedom in name of security.”

Full story

The Guardian, 1st May 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Our right to protest is under attack – The Guardian

Posted May 1st, 2012 in demonstrations, freedom of expression, news, police, public order by sally

“We need greater clarity on when the use of ‘kettling’ is permitted before people’s freedom to protest is severely curtailed.”

Full story

The Guardian, 1st May 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK framework on IP rated one of the worst for serving consumer interests – OUT-LAW.com

“The UK’s intellectual property (IP) framework is one of the worst in the world in terms of serving the interests of the public, a new report has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 27th April 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Hate speech and the meaning of “unacceptable behaviour” – UK Human Rights Blog

“Late last year I posted about the case of Mr Mahajna, a national of Israel (but of Palestinian origin), who appealed against a deportation order issued by the Home Secretary under section 3(5) of the Immigration Act 1971 on the basis that his presence in the United Kingdom was not conducive to public good.

And so to the Upper Tribunal (UT), which has now issued its decision on Mr Mahajna’s appeal against the FTT’s decision.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 26th April 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Judge declares Christian radio ad ‘political’ – Daily Telegraph

“The proposed 30-second advert for Premier Christian Radio called on listeners to report their experiences as part of a campaign for ‘a fairer society’.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 20th April 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

DPP launches public consultation on cases affecting the media – Crown Prosecution Service

“Keir Starmer QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), has today published interim guidelines on the approach prosecutors should take when assessing the public interest in cases affecting the media.”

Full story

Crown Prosecution Service, 18th April 2012

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

TfL bans Christian groups’ ‘gay cure’ advert from London buses – The Independent

Posted April 13th, 2012 in advertising, Christianity, freedom of expression, homosexuality, news by tracey

” An attempt by evangelical Christians to promote ‘gay cure’ therapies on the sides of London buses was banned last night, sparking an angry row over free speech.”

Full text

The Independent, 13th April 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The rising cost of free speech: Reynolds, contempt and Twitter – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 12th, 2012 in contempt of court, defamation, freedom of expression, internet, news by sally

“Free speech is under attack. Or so it seems. The last few weeks have been abuzz with stories to do with free speech: a Supreme Court ruling on the Reynolds defence to libel; contempt of court proceedings against an MP for comments made in a book and the latest in a growing line of criminal trials for Twitter offences. The diversity of media at the heart of these stories – print news, traditional books and online ‘micro-blogging’ – indicates the difficulty of the task for the legal system.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 12th April 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

How will we even know a closed judgment exists? – The Guardian

“What proposals for closed hearings would mean for press freedom.”

Full story

The Guardian, 4th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Student who abused Fabrice Muamba on Twitter ‘should not have been jailed’ – The Guardian

“Thomas Hammarberg, the European commissioner for human rights, calls Liam Stacey’s 56-day sentence excessive.”

Full story

The Guardian, 1st April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Press regulation on a sinking ship – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted March 28th, 2012 in defamation, freedom of expression, human rights, media, news by sally

“It was coincidental that this cricket libel case and Lady Justice Arden’s speech on media intrusion and human rights ‘Striking the Balance’ came out on the same day.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 28th March 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Appeasement it may be, but exclusion of Iranian dissident not a matter for the courts – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted March 22nd, 2012 in freedom of expression, Iran, news, parliament by sally

“The High Court has upheld an order by the Home Secretary preventing Maryam Rajavi, a prominent Iranian dissident, from speaking in Parliament. The exclusion order was imposed because of concerns about the deterioration of bilateral relationships between this country and the Iranian government, and fears that if the exclusion order was lifted there could be reprisals that put British nationals at risk and make further consular cooperation even more problematic. For further details of the Home Secretary’s decision see Henry Oliver’s excellent discussion of the case ‘Free Speech and Iranian Dissent in Parliament’.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 21st March 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Free speech on Facebook: unless you offend! – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted March 21st, 2012 in freedom of expression, internet, news, public order by sally

“No sooner had HLE published a post on the joke (in every sense) trial of Paul Chambers than another story appears which leaves one wondering how many in officialdom have even heard of free speech, let alone understood it.”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 20th March 2012

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Strasbourg rules on anti-gay speech for the first time – UK Human Rights Blog

“‘Will both teacher and pupils simply become the next victims of the tyranny of tolerance, heretics, whose dissent from state-imposed orthodoxy must be crushed at all costs?’, asked Cardinal O’Brien in his controversial Telegraph article on gay-marriage. He was suggesting that changing the law to allow gay marriage would affect education as it would preclude a teacher from telling pupils that marriage can only mean a heterosexual union. He later insinuated that the change might lead to students being given material such as an ‘explicit manual of homosexual advocacy entitled The Little Black Book: Queer in the 21st Century.'”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 13th March 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

#WithoutPrejudice podcast 22: FREE SPEECH – Charon QC

Posted March 9th, 2012 in defamation, freedom of expression, podcasts, privacy by tracey

“Tonight’s topic is Free Speech and how privacy and libel law may impact on this cherished right.”

Podcast

Charon QC, 9th March 2012

Source: www.charonqc.wordpress.com

“Charon QC” is the blogging pseudonym of Mike Semple Piggot, editor of insitelaw newswire.

Pursue masked protesters more vigorously, CPS says – The Guardian

“People who mask their faces to conceal their identity or carry anything that could be used as a weapon during protests should be pursued more vigorously by the law in the event of disorder, according to fresh guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Full story

The Guardian, 6th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Former cricketer Chris Cairns sues in libel tourism case – Daily Telegraph

“Ex-New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns, who is suing a former Indian Premier League boss over a Twitter posting, will have his case heard by the High Court today in the latest example of libel tourism.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 5th March 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Caroline Spelman facing six-figure legal bill over bid to stop press printing story about son – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 25th, 2012 in freedom of expression, injunctions, media, news, privacy, public interest, sport by tracey

“Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman is facing a six-figure legal bill after losing a High Court bid to stop a newspaper publishing a story about her teenage son’s rugby-playing career.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 24th February 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

City of London v Samede and others – WLR Daily

City of London v Samede and others: [2012] EWCA Civ 160;  [2012] WLR (D)  41

“While it could be appropriate for the court to take into account the general character of the views whose expression the Convention on Human Rights was being invoked to protect, namely the article 10 (freedom of expression) and article 11 (freedom of assembly) rights of demonstrators on the public highway, it was very difficult to see how those rights could ever prevail against the will of the landowner when the demonstrators were continuously and exclusively occupying public land, breaching not just the owner’s property rights and certain statutory provisions, but significantly interfering with the public and Convention rights of others, and causing other problems connected with health, nuisance and the like, especially in circumstances where the occupation had already continued for months and was likely to continue indefinitely.”

WLR Daily, 22nd February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk