Three new members appointed to the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom

Thursday 21 April 2022

Left to right: Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, Professor Seong-Phil Hong and Marietje Schaake

The Rt Hon Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, has appointed three new members to serve on the High Level Panel: Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, fourth President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Professor Seong-Phil Hong of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2014-2021) and Ms Marietje Schaake, International Policy Director at the Stanford University Cyber Policy Center. The appointments were made at the High Level Panel’s closed meeting in Washington DC on 9 April 2022, following the Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law.

Established in July 2019 at the request of the United Kingdom and Canadian governments to advise members of the Media Freedom Coalition, the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom is an independent body comprising a diverse group of 15 international lawyers and jurists from around the world. In addition to the publication of four advisory reports and opinions on draft state legislation, the Panel has been asked by international courts to intervene in priority cases that have an impact on media freedoms. The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) acts as Secretariat to the Panel.

As of 2022, the High Level Panel has commenced its second phase of work. The second phase of the High Level Panel’s work is focused on: (i) the implementation of the Panel’s recommendations from its four advisory enforcement reports; (ii) the review of draft and current legislation; and (iii) the provision of expert opinions and interventions in cases, at the request of national and international courts, or mandate holders.

Judge Eboe-Osuji, from Nigeria, is a former ICC President (2018-2021) who also served as a judge in the Appeals Chamber of the Court until April 2021. Currently, he acts as Distinguished International Jurist and Special Adviser to the President of the Ryerson University Faculty of Law, in Ontario, Canada, and as Visiting Professor at Stanford University Law School. Prior to joining the ICC, Judge Eboe-Osuji served as the Legal Advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Professor Hong, from the Republic of Korea, was a Member of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, from 2014-2021. Since 1995, he has taught International Law and Human Rights at Ewha and Yonsei Law Schools.

Ms Schaake, from the Netherlands, was a Member of the European Parliament for the Dutch Liberal Democratic Party from 2009-2019. Currently she serves as International Policy Director at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center and International Policy Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.

Lord Neuberger commented: ‘I am delighted to announce the appointment of three very distinguished people as new members of the High Level Panel, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, Professor Seong-Phil Hong and Marietje Schaake. Each of them will add to our diversity in terms of both regional and thematic expertise and experience. Their contributions will also be particularly appropriate for the future work of the Panel, as their expertise and experience is [are], in each case, in areas within the realm of media freedom and protecting the safety of journalists, which we see as being especially important.’

Professor Can Yeginsu, Deputy Chair of the Panel, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Judge Eboe-Osuji, Professor Hong and Ms Schaake. The experience and expertise they bring to the Panel is invaluable for our future work, as we move to the implementation of our recommendations and as we continue to provide states with legal assistance to protect and promote media freedoms at a time when they are under unprecedented assault.’

Catherine Amirfar, Deputy Chair of the Panel, stated: ‘With the second term of the High Level Panel and the phase two of its work fully underway, we warmly welcome these three eminent experts to strengthen our work. In 2021, the Committee to Protect Journalists found that the number of reporters currently detained for their work hit a new global record of 293, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) found that 55 journalists were killed and the International Federation of Journalists found that 180 journalists were targeted by Pegasus Spyware. This work is needed now more than ever.’

ENDS