Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC, Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom (the High Level Panel), has appointed Professor David Kaye, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (2014–2020), to serve as the fifteenth member of the High Level Panel.

The High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom is the independent advisory body of the Media Freedom Coalition (the Coalition). The High Level Panel was established in July 2019 at the request of the Coalition’s inaugural Co-Chairs, Canada and the United Kingdom, and is composed of fifteen leading experts in the field of international law. Last year, 2024, marked the fifth anniversary of the Media Freedom Coalition – and the work of the High Level Panel – now with 51 Member States, co-chaired by Estonia and Germany.

The High Level Panel’s remit is to provide legal advice and recommendations to the Coalition and its partners, including international organisations, for the purposes of promoting and protecting a vibrant, free and independent media. The High Level Panel also provides individual States with legal advice in the form of legal opinions on draft legislation or legislation already in force, where media freedoms are engaged. The High Level Panel is also called on to provide amicus curiae opinions at the request of international courts and tribunals in media freedom cases of general public importance.

The High Level Panel’s Secretariat is the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute.

Professor Kaye is Clinical Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, where he teaches international human rights law and international humanitarian law, while directing the International Justice Clinic. Professor Kaye is currently a member of the Venice Commission.

Baroness Kennedy said: ‘I am delighted to officially appoint David Kaye as the fifteenth member of the High Level Panel. He is a valuable addition to the Panel at a critical time for the protection of media freedom and democratic values globally. His voice and expertise will add further force and authority to this body of eminent international lawyers and jurists, which I am proud to Chair.’

Deputy Chair, Professor Can Yeginsu, said: ‘David Kaye has been a leading light in the field of international law and freedom of expression for over a decade. He has also been a great friend to the High Level Panel and made significant contributions to the Panel’s work in his capacity as a member of the Consultative Committee. Having David join the Panel now will only strengthen an existing working relationship at a time when the challenges to media freedom, democracy and the rule of law only continue to proliferate.’

Deputy Chair, Ms Catherine Amirfar, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome David Kaye to the High Level Panel. His deep expertise will be crucial to our ongoing work to advise the Media Freedom Coalition States and drive further progress, including in areas of new and emerging threats to media freedom, which he has been directly responsible for highlighting as issues requiring global action during his mandate as UN Special Rapporteur.’

ENDS

Notes to the reader:

1. The High Level Panel’s Secretariat is the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), providing it with operational, technical, and legal assistance. The work of the High Level Panel is supported by the Global Media Defence Fund, administered by UNESCO. The Chair of the High Level Panel is Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC and its Deputy Chairs are Ms Catherine Amirfar and Professor Can Yeginsu.
2. Related material:
   • Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC appointed Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
   • The High Level Panel’s Advisory Enforcement Reports
   • Legal Opinions to States on Legislation and Amicus Curiae briefs
3. Find the High Level Panel (@HLPMediaFreedom) on social media here:
   • x.com/hlpmediafreedom
   • youtube.com/channel/UC3EKrUfqn348jmjU_HAoguQ
4. The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), established in 1995 under Founding Honorary President Nelson Mandela, is an autonomous and financially independent entity, working to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.
5. Find the IBAHRI (@IBAHRI) on social media here:
   • x.com/IBAHRI
   • facebook.com/IBAhumanrights
6. The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
7. Find the IBA (@IBAnews) on social media here:
   • x.com/IBAnews
   • x.com/IBAevents
   • x.com/IBAHagueOffice
   • www.facebook.com/internationalbarassociation
   • www.linkedin.com/company/international-bar-association
   • https://bsky.app/profile/ibanews.bsky.social

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