Nani Jansen is Legal Director at the Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI). MLDI operates globally to help journalists and independent media outlets defend their rights by offering both financial assistance and substantive litigation support. Nani oversees MLDI's litigation in various national jurisdictions, as well as international courts and human rights tribunals.
Latest posts by Nani Jansen
Police Shootings, Helicopter Crashes, and Bystanders with Cameras: Weighing the Rights of “Accidental Journalists”
The rise in eye-witness documentation of police violence in the United States raises many interesting questions about the rights of witnesses and the public interest value of their work.
Lost in the Web: Navigating the Legal Maze Online
Media lawyer and human rights expert Nani Jansen gives an overview of censorship and online speech regulation across the globe.
Angola: Award-Winning Journalist Faces Trial Over ‘Blood Diamonds’ Investigation
Jonathan McCully contributed to this report. Last month, Rafael Marques de Morais was awarded the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award for Journalism for his “impactful, original, and unwavering investigative journalism” in his home country of Angola. Tomorrow, he will face trial on multiple charges of criminal defamation because of...
Jailed Female Photo Journalist on Hunger Strike in Vietnam
Convicted of plotting to "overthrow" the Vietnamese government, Minh Man was sentenced to nine years in prison. Now she is on hunger strike.
Advocates Petition UN for Action on Jailed Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Media Legal Defence Initiative asked the UN to intervene immediately in the case of Abd El Fattah, who began a hunger strike this week.
Delfi v. Estonia: Website Liability for User Comments Would Stifle Free Expression
Comment is free - until it isn't. The European Court of Human Rights will soon decide whether websites should be held legally responsible for the content of user comments.
Pakistan High Court Demands Unblocking of YouTube
In what appears to be a major victory for Internet openness in Pakistan, Lahore's High Court ruled to unblock YouTube, responding to a legal challenge filed by open Internet advocates.
Advocates Ask African Commission, UN Experts to Intervene in Zone 9 Bloggers Case
Global Voices joins a joint appeal to the AU and UN Special Rapporteurs to help secure the immediate release of the Zone9 bloggers and declare their arrest and detention a gross violation of their human rights.
UN Experts Condemn Detention of Vietnamese Blogger Le Quoc Quan
Le Quoc Quan was arrested in December 2012 on trumped-up charges of tax evasion -- but experts suspect that the "real purpose" of his detention and prosecution was to silence Quan, who is an active human rights advocate.
Ethiopian Journalists Challenge Anti-Terrorism Law
Two independent online journalists have filed a complaint against Ethiopia at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. They are challenging the country’s abuse of its anti-terrorism law to suppress free speech.
Advocates Keep Spotlight on Le Quoc Quan
The trial of Le Quoc Quan, one of Vietnam’s most active human rights defenders and an outspoken blogger, has been postponed by the Vietnamese government without explanation. The blogger has been held in prison without trial and with little ability to see or speak to his lawyer for over six months. Quan's prosecution fits into a wider pattern of oppression of free speech in Vietnam.
Advocates Challenge Use of FinFisher Surveillance Software in Pakistan
The Pakistani human rights organisation Bytes for All is challenging the use of invasive surveillance software by the government of Pakistan. FinFisher, produced by Gamma International, a UK-based company named by Reporters Without Borders as one of five "corporate enemies of the internet" and "digital era mercenaries," is notorious for its advanced spying and surveillance capabilities which are used to target human rights movements all over the world.
On Eve of Elections, Advocates Challenge YouTube Blocking in Pakistan
With general elections fast approaching in Pakistan, advocates are urging the government to cease blocking sites like YouTube which have become vital platforms for the circulation of news and information. YouTube has been blocked in Pakistan nearly continuously since September 2012. In partnership with the Media Legal Defence Initiative, Pakistani NGO Bytes for All is challenging the blocking in court.
