News
New Portal in Indonesia Strengthens Digital Legal Aid for Journalists
Through the support of Global Media Defence Fund, the Indonesian NGO LBH Pers has successfully piloted the provision of legal assistance for journalists with a dedicated tool for digital legal aid. LBH Pers' was created in 2003, with the mission to uphold democracy through legal aid and advocacy efforts for press freedom and freedom of expression in Indonesia. In order to do so, the organization launched in January 2023, the (鈥淟apor鈥). Lapor portal is enabling journalists to report and get expert assistance on a vast variety of legal issues, including violations concerning media freedom, freedom of expression, access to information and labour rights of media workers.
Since its launch, the portal has received reports of 53 cases. Among them are 45 which concern employment cases, 5 criminal cases, one journalist intellectual property case, one website blocking case and one sexual violence case.
Through this platform, we hope that journalists can be empowered to fight injustice. In some cases, they just need legal advice and know the formal legal steps, then we encourage them to demand justice themselves. This strategy can also help journalists in remote areas. As long as the internet is available, we can provide their right to justice.
For each case, LBH Pers effectively provided journalists with legal opinions and legal steps to be taken in light of their specific case. The request for help were referred to specialized lawyers, and benefited journalists were helped to submit their cases to court when necessary. This holistic approach provided the journalists with not only a legal but also a moral support.
Since 2021, UNESCO and LBH Pers have been collaborating to enhance media freedom and bolster journalist鈥檚 access to legal assistance and enhance their safety through the Global Media Defence Fund. This Fund was established within the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which marked its 10th Anniversary last year.
To date, the Global Media Defence Fund has supported over 100 projects around the globe and has directly benefited over 3,000 journalists, at least 600 lawyers and involving over hundred non-governmental organizations.
This project complements UNESCO Judges鈥 Initiative, which celebrated its . 35.000 participants from over 160 countries engaged with the initiative over the last decade. This innovative programme offers comprehensive and practical training to judicial actors on freedom of expression and the international standards governing it.
