How will we measure success in an ever-evolving and more and more difficult panorama? At Columbia World Freedom of Expression (CGFoE), we’ve got chosen to look past the numbers—past the rely of stories issued, conferences held, webinars hosted, and even the rising entries and utilization of our Case Legislation Database.

Whereas these metrics matter, we consider it’s equally essential to spotlight the partnerships we’ve got constructed – that usually was long-term alliances, and to replicate on the influence we made on college students, students, specialists, and advocates who proceed to advance this work. Whether or not you’ve engaged with our assets, joined a dialogue, or just learn our e-newsletter, we hope you’ll see part of your self in these pages. This week we’re sharing with you our influence report which displays on a interval that begins simply earlier than the celebration of our tenth anniversary and appears forward to the longer term we’re shaping collectively. In a time of rising world authoritarianism, these relationships stand as an important basis of worldwide solidarity within the struggle to guard freedom of expression and democracy.

Thanks for being a part of this journey.

— Dr. Hawley Johnson, CGFoE Affiliate Director

“As threats to free expression evolve, we stay steadfast in our dedication to empowering authorized professionals, students, and advocates with the data and assets essential to safeguard this elementary proper,” says Dr. Hawley Johnson, CGFoE Affiliate Director.

As Columbia World Freedom of Expression (CGFoE) celebrates a decade of influence, 2024 has been a landmark yr in our ongoing mission to defend and promote free expression worldwide. From internet hosting our tenth anniversary celebration to increasing our authorized assets and strengthening world partnerships, CGFoE continues to be a driving drive in shaping the authorized panorama of free speech.

Celebrating a Decade of World Freedom of Expression

On April 25, 2024, World Freedom of Expression marked its tenth anniversary with a dynamic, all-day occasion devoted to defending and selling free speech worldwide. The day started with a high-level convention, “Safeguarding Free Expression: The Position of Judicial Techniques in Pivotal Instances,” sponsored by UNESCO, adopted by the distinguished World Freedom of Expression Prize Ceremony.

The celebration featured a keynote deal with by Aryeh Neier, President Emeritus of the Open Society Foundations, alongside thought-provoking panel discussions on “Breakthrough Verdicts: Authorized Selections Shaping the UN’s Sustainable Improvement Objectives” and “Essential Authorized Frontiers.” A particular e book speak, “Fact, Justice & the Energy of Journalism”, showcased Elena Kostyuchenko, acclaimed Russian journalist and writer, and Paul Caruana Galizia, writer and son of the late Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The occasion concluded on a robust notice with a musical efficiency by Vivir Quintana, the famend Mexican singer and activist. Her tune, El Corrido de Milo Vela, highlighted the violence confronted by journalists in Mexico, calling for the safety of those that threat their lives to report the reality. Held on the historic Italian Academy, the celebration introduced collectively dozens of world free speech advocates in individual, whereas over a thousand attendees joined just about to honor a decade of influence and progress.

World Freedom of Expression Prizes 2024

The fifth biennial Columbia World Freedom of Expression Prizes honored groundbreaking authorized achievements which have superior free expression and press freedom worldwide.

Within the class of Important Authorized Ruling, the Excessive Courtroom of South Africa (Johannesburg) was acknowledged for its landmark resolution in Mazetti Administration Companies (Pty) Ltd v AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism NPC. The ruling reaffirmed the vital position of investigative journalism in uncovering corruption and underscored the elemental significance of supply safety—a necessary safeguard enabling journalists to pursue issues of public curiosity.

The Prize for Excellence in Authorized Companies was awarded to the Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples Clinic at Suffolk College Legislation College (Boston, USA) and the Affiliation of Maya Attorneys and Notaries in Guatemala. Their years-long advocacy earlier than the Inter-American Courtroom of Human Rights in Maya Kaqchikel Indigenous Peoples of Sumpango et al. v. Guatemala led to a landmark resolution addressing discriminatory rules on radio frequency allocations in Guatemala, making certain higher entry to communication rights for Indigenous communities.

Increasing Our World Authorized Useful resource

Database Development

CGFoE continues to be a number one hub for authorized professionals worldwide, fostering dialogue and advancing the safety of free expression. In 2024, the World Case Legislation Database expanded considerably, with 150 new case analyses added, bringing the whole to over 2,400 instances from greater than 130 nations.

The database’s affect is plain—between January and December 2024, it recorded over 5 million consumer interactions, reinforcing its worth as a trusted useful resource for authorized specialists, students, and advocates worldwide.

Its influence was additional highlighted when ARTICLE 19 and the Justice Clinic on the College of California, Irvine College of Legislation submitted an Amicus Temporary earlier than the U.S. Supreme Courtroom in Moody v. NetChoice, citing CGFoE’s evaluation of Scanlen & Holderness v. Zimbabwe—a testomony to the database’s authority as a useful resource in high-stakes authorized debates.

Linguistic Growth

In April 2024, CGFoE broadened its world attain with the launch of a French-language database, alongside an entire redesign of its Arabic and Spanish homepages. Moreover, restricted variations of the database can be found in Russian and Portuguese, additional enhancing accessibility for various audiences.

This multilingual method has considerably elevated engagement. Over the previous yr alone, CGFoE welcomed greater than 460,000 customers, averaging 1,500 – 2,000 on work days, with sturdy readership in India, the USA, the UK, the Philippines, Canada, Nigeria, South Africa, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, and Argentina.

Via these expansions, CGFoE continues to strengthen its position as an important useful resource for defending and advancing freedom of expression worldwide.

Strengthening World Partnerships

At CGFoE, we take nice delight within the extraordinary relationships we’ve got cultivated over time. In 2024, we continued our collaboration with key worldwide companions, together with UNESCO, UN Particular Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Irene Khan, the Worldwide Bar Affiliation’s Human Rights Institute / Excessive-Degree Panel of Authorized Consultants on Media Freedom, the Value Media Moot Courtroom on the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at Oxford College, and ARTICLE 19.

We contributed to the upcoming report on freedom of expression and unprotected speech by the Workplace of the Particular Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (SRFOE) of the Inter-American Fee on Human Rights (IACHR), submitting written observations on key jurisprudential approaches to hate speech.

This was adopted by Dr. Hawley Johnson’s participation in a public session, the place she emphasised that the IACHR ought to urge States to foster a greater atmosphere without cost expression and stop the proliferation of hate speech rules.

A major new partnership is underway with the Observatoire de la liberté d’expression at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (Canada). This collaboration will see the Observatoire curate CGFoE’s French-language database and spearhead the improvement of our francophone community, enhancing accessibility for French-speaking authorized communities worldwide.

Our community continues to develop, with expanded cooperation amongst legislation professors in Hungary, Poland, South Africa, and Canada, in addition to judges in Brazil and on the African Courtroom on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

A Really World Staff

The CGFoE workforce represents a world group, with workers hailing from 5 continents and 9 nations—Argentina, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, India, Serbia, Russia, Egypt, South Africa, and the USA. Our various experience spans freedom of expression, worldwide legislation, human rights advocacy, and journalism protection. As well as, our contributing authorized researchers carry experience from a various array of nations, together with Namibia, Rwanda, Nigeria, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Turkey, Lebanon, Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Cyprus, Tunisia, Italy, and the UK, amongst others.

Increasing Our Attain

Our influence continues to develop, with almost 2,000 subscribers throughout our mixed e-newsletter lists. A lot of the content material we characteristic —scholarly publications, authorized bulletins, and stories— comes immediately from our companions, who see CGFoE as a very important platform for partaking the worldwide freedom of expression group.

Via these partnerships and collaborations, CGFoE stays on the forefront of authorized advocacy, knowledge-sharing, and world dialogue on free expression.

UNESCO Partnership: Increasing Influence and World Attain

For over a decade, UNESCO has been a key companion and donor, taking part in an important position within the thematic and linguistic enlargement of CGFoE’s World Case Legislation Database and authorized analysis instruments.

In April 2024, CGFoE efficiently concluded a collection of initiatives carried out throughout the framework of its UNESCO-funded grant, which included:

World Press Freedom Day 2023– Organizing a aspect occasion to showcase the database and associated authorized analysis instruments.
Increasing Multilingual Entry – Translating 20 case analyses on influential and precedent-setting court docket rulings into French.
Worldwide Outreach – Internet hosting a collection of 20 webinars to introduce the database to authorized communities worldwide.
Strengthening Election Legislation & Free Expression – Producing 10 case analyses on landmark court docket choices associated to elections and freedom of expression, with translations in French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Organizing a high-level convention devoted to inspecting authorized choices shaping the UN’s Sustainable Improvement Objectives and world challenges to freedom of expression.
Broadening Scholarly Sources – Translating 5 Particular Assortment Papers into French and Portuguese.

In January 2025, UNESCO supported a brand new initiative: a collection of six interactive webinars for justice actors to advertise UNESCO’s report, “The Misuse of Monetary Legal guidelines to Strain, Silence and Intimidate Journalists and Media Shops,” together with IAPA/WAN-IFRA’s report on “The Misuse of Financial Prices to Silence, Threaten and Assault the Press.” These regionally targeted webinars aimed to look at how censorship manifests in several jurisdictions and promote cooperative methods to counter its chilling results on freedom of expression. In the meanwhile, the mission is on maintain as a consequence of current U.S. Government Orders.

UNESCO Webinar Collection: Increasing World Conversations on Free Expression

CGFoE, with UNESCO’s assist, hosted greater than 20 webinars in 2023-2024, fostering vital discussions on rising challenges to freedom of expression worldwide. Following are a couple of highlights.

Judicial Coaching: The Web and Freedom of Expression

In collaboration with Decide Fernando Biolcati and the São Paulo College of Judges, CGFoE organized a seven-part webinar collection as a part of an official Judicial Coaching Program on “The Web and Freedom of Expression.” Held weekly, the course explored tutorial and judicial traits in on-line communication, notably as they relate to free expression in Brazil and past. 5 of the webinars have been based mostly on CGFoE’s Particular Assortment papers, that includes displays by an writer, editor, or skilled, alongside a Brazilian authorized scholar, with discussions moderated by a Brazilian decide.

Classes have been held in Portuguese with simultaneous English interpretation for visitor audio system.

The Energy of Music—Repercussions for Free Speech in Hong Kong

This webinar, that includes Michael Caster (ARTICLE 19), Chung Ching Kwong (Hong Kong digital rights activist), Dr. Eric Yan-ho Lai (Georgetown Heart for Asian Legislation), and Doreen Weisenhaus (Northwestern College), examined the influence of the banning of a well-liked protest anthem, “Glory to Hong Kong, on the judiciary and the implementation of the nationwide safety legislation in Hong Kong.

So far, it has been seen over 9,000 occasions and seen greater than 1,500 occasions throughout platforms.

French-Language Webinars: Launching the French Database

To mark the launch of CGFoE’s French-language database, the next webinars have been carried out in French with simultaneous English interpretation:

Web Shutdowns in Worldwide Legislation – That includes Joan Barata (Justitia & Stanford Cyber Coverage Heart), Felicia Anthonio (Entry Now), and Aisha Dabo (AfricTivistes).
World Tendencies within the Proper to Be Forgotten – With Ramiro Alvarez Ugarte (CELE, Argentina), Frédéric Gras (Paris Bar), Anderson Javiel Dirocie De León (CGFoE), and Basile Ader (former Paris Bar President).
Hate Speech: The Enduring Drawback of Thresholds– That includes Natalie Alkiviadou (Vanderbilt College), Bernard Chevalier (French Courtroom of Cassation), Anderson Javiel Dirocie De León (CGFoE), and François Jauny (researcher).
Freedom of Expression within the African System – With Anderson Javiel Dirocie De León (CGFoE), Sarah Peeters (Pan African Attorneys Union), Sylla Sow and Alfred Nkuru Bulakali (ARTICLE 19, Senegal & West Africa).

Via these initiatives, CGFoE continues to facilitate discussions on vital free expression points, reaching various authorized communities worldwide.

Strategic Partnerships
Oxford College – Value Media Legislation Moot Courtroom Competitors

For over a decade, CGFoE has collaborated with the Value Media Legislation Moot Courtroom Competitors on the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, College of Oxford, the place Dr. Hawley Johnson continuously serves as a decide in regional and worldwide rounds.

In February 2025, Dr. Johnson performed a outstanding position on the MENA Rounds in Cairo, Egypt, delivering opening remarks, talking on a panel dialogue, and serving as a finals rounds decide. In April 2025, Dr. Johnson was a part of the star choice of judges, presiding over the Worldwide Rounds at College of Oxford, the place she additionally held a joint session on Defending Freedom of Expression by way of Comparative Case Legislation with Lautaro Furfaro, CGFoE’s Senior Authorized Researcher.

This continued involvement displays CGFoE’s deep dedication to fostering the following era of free expression advocates. Many former mooters have gone on to hitch CGFoE as authorized researchers, whereas others function Moot Courtroom coaches—actively selling and incorporating the World Case Legislation Database into authorized coaching and advocacy. Up to now two years, CGFoE has deepened its engagement by way of a partnership with Professor Ahmed Khalifa of Ain Shams Legislation College, Cairo, Egypt, who additionally serves because the Center East Coordinator for the Oxford Value Media Moot Courtroom Competitors.

Collectively, we’ve got carried out two five-week on-line seminars, “Freedom of Expression within the Digital Realm: New Actors and Novel Challenges,” designed to equip Moot Courtroom alumni and legislation college students with experience in worldwide human rights legislation, comparative legislation, and authorized writing methods. Individuals have come from Egypt, Palestine, Libya, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia, with a 3rd seminar scheduled for June–July 2025.

Toolkit: What’s in a Joke? Assessing Humor in Free Speech Jurisprudence

CGFoE partnered with Discussion board for Humor and the Legislation (ForHum) to develop a judicial toolkit on the safety of humor and satire as important types of democratic expression. The toolkit supplies authorized steerage on assessing humorous speech, drawing from human rights legislation, mental property legislation, and humor scholarship. On October 24, 2024, CGFoE hosted an skilled evaluate assembly with ForHum’s Advisory Board, adopted by a public panel dialogue on October 25 that includes two authors and a roundtable dialogue with esteemed authorized specialists, together with Girl Justice Stella Isibhakhomen Anukam (African Courtroom on Human and Peoples’ Rights); JUDr. Barbora Bukovská (ARTICLE 19); Mehdi Benchelah (UNESCO); Decide Darian Pavli (European Courtroom of Human Rights). Funded by the Dutch Analysis Council, the toolkit will formally launch in Spring 2025.

CYRILLA Collaborative

Since 2019, CGFoE has been a part of the CYRILLA Collaborative, a world initiative managing an open-access authorized database on digital rights. The Collaborative consists of 5 key companions: CIPIT (Kenya); SMEX (Lebanon); APC (Asia); Derechos Digitales (DD) (Chile); and CGFoE (U.S.). With assist from the U.S. Division of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, CGFoE labored on increasing the database in French and Arabic and revealed 70 new case analyses on digital rights.

Strengthening Authorized Scholarship

CGFoE continues to advance authorized scholarship on freedom of expression by collaborating with main universities, analysis institutes, and worldwide organizations to supply cutting-edge evaluation, host high-level discussions, and contribute to world authorized debates.

In collaboration with legislation faculties on the College of Alabama, the College of Minnesota, and Columbia College, CGFoE co-hosted a e book launch and panel dialogue for the edited quantity Disinformation, Misinformation, and Democracy: Authorized Approaches in Comparative Context, exploring the intersection of data integrity and democratic governance.

With the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Web and Society and the Leibniz Institute for Media Analysis Hans-Bredow-Institut (Germany), we organized a high-level tutorial workshop on Freedom of On-line Communication Throughout Transatlantic Borders, bringing collectively main students to look at rising authorized and coverage challenges.

CGFoE continues to assist the work of the UN Particular Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Irene Khan. Following a gathering in October 2024, we submitted a abstract of case legislation from our database on elections and know-how, contributing to her forthcoming report.

Our SLAPPs Particular Assortment Paper was cited within the UN Workplace of the Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report on The Influence of SLAPPs on Human Rights & Easy methods to Reply.

We additionally revealed the second version of our Particular Assortment paper, Case Legislation on Content material Moderation and Freedom of Expression, increasing on key authorized precedents shaping digital governance.

Chilling Impact Analysis

CGFoE is contributing a chapter to the upcoming quantity Chilling Impact and Freedom of Expression – “Frozen” Speech in Transdisciplinary Views, edited by Dr. Gergely Gosztonyi and Dr. Gergely Ferenc Lendvai. Titled “A Comparative Evaluation of the Case Legislation from the African, European, and Inter-American Human Rights Techniques,” it examines key rulings from regional human rights courts, together with the ECtHR, IACtHR, and the African Courtroom and Fee, and choose instances from ECOWAS and the East African Courtroom of Justice. The chapter explores chilling impact case legislation, highlighting regional convergences and disparities in defending free expression. The e book shall be revealed by Springer Worldwide in Fall/Winter 2025.