Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) is a charity, based in London, which provides legal help to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media across the world. MLDI’s vision is a world where journalists no longer face legal challenges that threaten their ability to report freely and independently on issues of public interest, allowing citizens to be better informed, able to hold those in power to account. MLDI’s mission is to ensure legal protection of journalists and media workers under threat for reporting on issues of public interest, in the belief that freedom of expression is essential.
As part of our work to help build a strong global legal defence network for independent media, MLDI provides financial assistance to organisations that have or wish to establish a legal aid unit. Currently, MLDI can only fund a small number of organisations. Our aim is to expand this network and achieve better local-level access to legal assistance for independent media outlets, journalists and bloggers who lack the financial means to access legal support at commercial rates. In 2017, MLDI started its Digital Rights Advocates Project with the aim of providing training as well as financial and technical support to lawyers taking on digital rights cases in East, West and Southern Africa.
WORTH
- As part of this project, MLDI is offering 12-month grants of up to USD 20,000 to organisations with backgrounds in defending and supporting the right to freedom of expression. The objective of the grants is to improve local access to legal assistance for online media and bloggers in order to advance digital rights and standards in online freedom of expression and to maximise the number of digital rights cases reaching the courts. The grants can be used to set up a media legal defence unit which provides pro bono legal support to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media and/or coordinates networks of lawyers to do the same.
ELIGIBILITY
To be considered, organisations must meet the following criteria:
- The grant is open to NGOs, law centres and independent media outlets registered in East Africa, West Africa, or Southern Africa;
- The organisation must have a background or demonstrable interest in litigation and/or provision of legal support;
- The organisation should have previous experience in the advancement and protection of freedom of expression in the country or region where it operates; and
- The organisation must have sufficient administrative and financial capacity to comply with MLDI’s reporting requirements.
DEADLINE: February 09 2020
To apply and for more information visit here
