World Press Freedom Day

How 'Lawfare' Has Become the Despot’s Go-To Weapon Against Journalists

In Liberia, a country with a long and tragic history of violence against anyone who challenges power, guns did not silence journalist Rodney Sieh. Courts did.

Sieh was one of four journalists and legal experts on a World Press Freedom Day panel discussion at the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York about the growing use of “lawfare” to punish journalists and keep the truth hidden. Moderated by ICFJ Deputy Vice President for Global Research Julie Posetti, the panel explored how governments are becoming ever more sophisticated in using aspects of the law that seem to have nothing to do with journalism – tax issues, foreign funding, even protections for women – against journalists.

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Kenya's hotly contested 2013 presidential election saw a record turnout. This peaceful transition of power contrasted dramatically with the violence that followed the 2007 election.