UN Mandate

In June 2014, Clinic Director David Kaye was named United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. In this role, Professor Kaye monitored and addressed challenges to freedom of opinion and expression across the globe. Students in the Clinic supported this UN mandate by investigating problems in such areas as the protection of journalists, artists, academics and various “new media” practitioners (like bloggers), the impact of surveillance on free expression, the right to access government information, the regulation of hate speech and other subjects implicating freedom of opinion and expression. Clinic students also explored specific country situations and helped develop regional networks of defenders committed to free expression. Professor Kaye’s mandate ended in July 2020.

Please visit https://freedex.org/ for a comprehensive collection of the mandate’s work in collaboration with the Clinic. For information on the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression, please visit the website of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Amicus Briefs and Expert Testimony

The Clinic provided support to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression by preparing amicus briefs and expert testimony for the following matters:

  • Case: Review process of judgment No. 327 of October 5, 2017, issued by the Second Municipal Court of Apartadó
    Date: November 14, 2019
    Court: Colombian Constitutional Court
    Amicus Brief as filed
  • Case: Privacy International and Others v. United Kingdom, Application No. 46259/16
    Date: September 16, 2019
    Court: European Court of Human Rights
    Intervention as filed
    Court Judgment
  • Case: Big Brother Watch and Others v. United Kingdom, Application Nos. 58170/13, 62322/14 and 24960/15
    Date: June 3, 2019
    Court: European Court of Human Rights
    Intervention as filed
    Court Judgement
  • Case(s): OOO Flavus v. Russia, Application No. 12468/15 and four related Applications (Nos. 20159/15, 23489/15, 19074/16 and 61919/16)
    Date: Jan 11, 2018
    Court: European Court of Human Rights
    Intervention as filed
    Court Judgment
  • Case(s): Atilla Taş v. Turkey (Application No. 72/17); Ahmet Hüsrev Altan v. Turkey (Application No. 13252/17) Mehmet Hasan Altan v. Turkey (Application No. 13237/17) Ahmet Şık v. Turkey (Application No. 36493/17); Şahin Alpay v. Turkey (Application No. 16538/17); Mehmet Murat Sabuncu and others v. Turkey (Application No. 23199/17) Murat Aksoy v. Turkey (Application No. 80/17); Ayşe Nazli Ilicak v. Turkey (Application No. 1210/17); Ali Bulaç v. Turkey (Application No. 25939/17); Ilker Deniz Yucel v. Turkey (Application No. 27684/17)
    Date: Oct 20, 2017
    Court: European Court of Human Rights
    Intervention as filed
  • Case: Federation of African Journalists et al. v. Gambia, ECW/CCJ/APP/36/15
    Date: May 18, 2016
    Court: Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
    Affidavit as filed
    Court Judgment
Thematic Reports

The Clinic provided support to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression by conducting research and drafting for the following thematic reports:

2020

2019
2018

2017

2016

2015