Author Archives: Press

1 March 2021. The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) has submitted an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief to the Constitutional Court of Colombia, setting out international standards to support the claim that a civil defamation provision from a 1944 law is unconstitutional. The provision, Article 55 of Law 29 of 1944, provides … Continue reading →

23 February 2021. CLD joins with Malaysian and international media organisations and freedom of expression groups to voice concern over the conviction of Malaysian news outlet Malaysiakini on contempt of court charges. This conviction could have serious impacts on the exercise of freedom of expression throughout the country. The conviction is based on five comments … Continue reading →

18 February 2021. CLD is one of 45 organisations jointly calling on Cambodia to reconsider the Sub-Decree on the Establishment of the National Internet Gateway. We are concerned about the harmful impact of this Sub-Decree on the exercise of human rights in Cambodia, especially the rights to freedom of expression, access to information and privacy. … Continue reading →

1 February 2021. The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) has provided a written Submission on Normative Frameworks for the Right to Information to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The OHCHR is preparing a report on this issue to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council at its … Continue reading →

15 January 2021. The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), an international human rights organisation based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, will host up to four interns for the summer of 2021. The position will involve a range of substantive legal work in areas such as freedom of expression, media law, digital rights and access to … Continue reading →

11 December 2020. The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) is today releasing a Human Rights Analysis of Biometric Digital ID Systems providing insight into the issue of developing a human rights compliant biometric digital ID system. A system of this sort is currently being considered in Myanmar. The Analysis reviews the human rights that … Continue reading →

10 December 2020. For United Nations Human Rights Day 2020, CLD’s Toby Mendel shared a blog post about media freedom in Myanmar at the website of partner International Media Support. The blog is available here and reproduced below.   Standing up for journalists’ rights – a status from Myanmar Blog by: Toby Mendel This blog … Continue reading →

27 November 2020. Today, the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) provided a written Submission to the five-year review of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015. This is the first review since the law was substantially overhauled in 2015, after which it earned 111 out … Continue reading →

24 November 2020. The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) is today releasing a Note highlighting a number of legal developments which have an impact on freedom of expression and which were proposed or adopted in 2020. These are part of CLD’s ongoing work in the country on media freedom issues, in collaboration with International … Continue reading →

6 November 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic’s second-wave continues to sweep across much of the country, the federal government has maintained a very cavalier approach to meeting its legal obligations under Canada’s Access to Information Act. According to a 21 October report in the Winnipeg Free Press, less than half of federal access to information … Continue reading →

16 October 2020. CLD has submitted initial input for the idea-generation phase of consultations hosted by the Government of Canada as part of preparations for Canada’s fifth Open Government Partnership (OGP) National Action Plan. The text of our submission is available below.   Centre for Law and Democracy16 October 2020Initial Input for the Idea-Generation Phase … Continue reading →

15 October 2020. CLD joins with community leaders, over 50 other Canadian civil society groups and over 50 parliamentarians in calling for Canadian government action to sanction Chinese and Hong Kong officials and protect Hong Kongers at risk of political persecution. The statement is as follows: Joint statement calling for sanctioning of Chinese and Hong … Continue reading →

28 September 2020. On this International Right to Know Day, the Centre for Law and Democracy joins with other civil society organisations from around the world in calling on governments to avoid using the COVID-19 crisis as a pretext for limiting the right to information. Instead, we are urging governments at least to restore and … Continue reading →

28 September 2020. 28 September, International Right to Know Day, is a day when people around the world celebrate the importance of the right to access information held by public authorities (the right to information). This year, International Right to Know Day also represents the 10th anniversary of the launch of the RTI Rating, which … Continue reading →

27 September 2020. UNESCO is hosting a series of events to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day for Universal Access to Information or International Right to Know Day, 28 September. Toby Mendel, CLD Executive Director, will moderate the High-Level Panel, taking place from 1400-1530 Paris time that day. The panel, titled Access to Information – … Continue reading →

3 September 2020. The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) is seeking a Legal Officer to begin working with us as soon as possible. We are looking for a successful, highly motivated person who will work from Halifax, Canada. The successful applicant will be rewarded with exciting legal work in countries all over the world, … Continue reading →

19 August 2020. The Centre for Law and Democracy has joined a number of other organisations in issuing a Joint Statement condemning the adoption, on 30 June 2020, of the new national security law by the top legislative body in China and the subsequent active use of the law by Hong Kong authorities. These actions … Continue reading →

11 August 2020. Today, CLD is releasing its fifth and final regional report in its series on the law and policy environment for civic space globally, covering seventeen countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights legal restrictions which pose more serious risks to the ability of civil society to operate freely in each country, with the … Continue reading →

4 August 2020. CLD has released its regional report on the legal environment for civil society in the Middle East and North Africa. The report, the fourth in our global series, highlights laws and policies in the region which prevent civil society from organising, meeting, fundraising, advocating, researching, expressing their opinions and otherwise operating. The … Continue reading →

28 July 2020. CLD today released the third regional report in our global series on the law and policy environment for civic space. The report focuses on nine countries in Latin America, highlighting laws and policies which restrict the ability of organisations to establish themselves and obtain funding, to conduct activities safely and to engage … Continue reading →