High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom - Who we are

Who we are

The High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom is an independent body that was convened in July 2019 at the request of the UK and Canadian governments. The High Level Panel comprises a diverse group of leading lawyers from around the world.

What we do

The remit of the High Level Panel is to provide advice and recommendations to governments to prevent and reverse abuses of media freedom. The High Level Panel will propose initiatives that can be taken by governments to ensure existing international obligations relating to media freedom are upheld, disseminate elements for model legislation to promote and protect a vibrant free press, and report on means of raising the cost to those who target journalists for their work.

Chair and Deputy Chairs

The Chair of the High Level Panel is Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC and her Deputy Chairs are Catherine Amirfar and Can Yeginsu.

Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC
Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom

Can Yeginsu

Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom

Catherine Amirfar

Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom

Members of the Panel

Hina Jilani

Dario Milo

Baroness Françoise Tulkens

Catherine Anite

The Honourable Irwin Cotler, PC, OC, OQ

Karuna Nundy

Nadim Houry

Justice Manuel José Cepeda Espinosa

Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji

Marietje Schaake

Professor Seong-Phil Hong

Advisory Council

Sarah Cleveland

Galina Arapova

Kyung-Sin Park

Robert D Sack

Amal Clooney

Lord David Neuberger of Abbotsbury

Back to top  

Our funder - UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030.

UNESCO

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute Secretariat

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) serves as the Secretariat to the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom. The IBAHRI Secretariat provides operational, legal, technical assistance, facilitating the Panel’s advisory role and advocacy actions to strengthen protection of media freedom and journalists’ access to legal assistance.

Consultative Committee: Civil Society

Name Position & organisation Region Biography
David Kaye Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine, School of Law and Former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression (August 2014 - July 2020) Global Biography
Harlem Désir Former Representative on Freedom of the Media, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (2017-2020) Europe Biography
Matjaz Gruden Director of Democratic Participation, Council of Europe Europe Biography
Patrick Penninckx Head of Department - Information Society, Council of Europe Europe Biography
Antoine Bernard Senior Advisor for International Strategic Litigation, RSF Global Biography
Rebecca Vincent Director of International Campaigns, RSF Global Biography
Jodie Ginsberg Chief Executive, Index on Censorship until February 2020. Chief Executive, Internews Europe from March 2020 Global Biography
Jameel Jaffer Executive Director, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University US Biography
Ben Wizner American Civil Liberties Union US Biography
Clive Baldwin Senior Legal Adviser, HRW Global Biography
Sir Michael Tugendhat QC Former English High Court judge specialized in media cases UK Biography
Geoffrey Robertson QC Doughty Street Chambers UK Biography
Alex Bailin QC Matrix Chambers UK Biography
Advocate Gilbert Marcus SC Johannesburg Bar Africa Biography
Pansy Tlakula Chairperson of the Information Regulator of South Africa South Africa Biography
Agnes Callamard Secretary General. Amnesty International and former UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions (2016-2021) Global Biography
Karen Eltis Professor, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law Canada Biography
Miguel Maduro Former Advocate General at the European Court of Justice and now at the European Institute in Florence Europe Biography
Irene Khan UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression Global Biography
Gypsy Guillén Kaiser Advocacy and Communications Director, CPJ Global Biography
Professor Evelyn Aswad Professor of Law, Herman G. Kaiser Chair in International Law, University of Oklahoma US Biography
Damian Tambini Associate Professor, Department of Media and Communications, LSE UK Biography

Academic and Practice Partners

London

Paris

Belgium

Lebanon

  • Regional Expert

Moscow

  • The Institute for Law and Public Policy (Regional Partner)

New Delhi

Melbourne

Pretoria

Colombia

New York

Toronto