The ACD work has global following from over 150 countries.
- 2013– Libel Law Reform in the U.K. influenced by “Rachel’s Law” and the “SPEECH Act”
- 2011- Receiving the Sappho award from the International Free Press Society
- 2010- “SPEECH Act”– It protects American journalists and scholars from enforcement of foreign libel judgments in the U.S. The Law passed unanimously by Congress.
- 2008- “Rachel’s Law”– “The Libel Terrorism Protection Act,” passed unanimously and by the New York State Assembly and enacted shortly afterward. Similar laws passed in 10 more states.
- Observing elections in newly developing democracies in the former Soviet Republics & North Africa
- Consulting USAID, foreign governments and international organizations on anti-corruption measures
- First to expose Yasser Araft’s the Palestinian Authority’s corruption already in 1993
- Pioneering the Terror Network Finance Tracking (TNFT) – identification of terror financiers and facilitators, not listed by OFAC.
- Expert Testimony on terrorist financing in U.S. Congress, Canadian and EU Parliaments
- Consulting PBS and other national and international media networks on documentaries
- Congressional and public briefings
Our Impact: December 17th, 2013
SPEECH Act Defendant Gets $48,000 In Attorneys’ Fees–Trout Point Lodge Ltd. v. Handshoe by Eric Goldman, Technology & Marketing Law Blo
The passage of Rachel’s Law in New York State in 2008, the federal SPEECH Act in 2010, and similar legislation in various states have resulted in an international effort to raise awareness of the threat of libel tourism and its chilling effect on free speech, and to libel reform in the U.K.:
Libel Reform Included In Queen’s Speech
09.05.12 | Benedicte Page
The announcement of a Defamation Bill in the Queen’s Speech today (9th May) has been welcomed by campaigners from the Libel Reform Campaign.
The inclusion of the bill in the speech, which outlines the government’s agenda for the next parliamentary session, confirms that the government intends to make changes to the legislation on defamation within this next parliamentary session.
Although the contents of the draft bill have not been published, they are thought to include an end to libel ‘tourism’, a new public interest defence for publishers, measures to strike out trivial claims at an earlier stage, new provision for online publication and a single publication rule.
Kirsty Hughes, chief executive of Index on Censorship, which formed the Libel Reform Campaign alongside English PEN and Sense About Science, said: “Finally the government is to stop libel tourism so wealthy foreign claimants can no longer use our High Court to silence their critics abroad. The 60,000 people who signed the Libel Reform Campaign will be delighted that the government has announced this reform, though we’ll be awaiting the detail.”
English PEN director Jonathan Heawood said: “Over the past three years, the Libel Reform Campaign has shown how our unfair libel laws are causing legitimate books to be pulped and publishers to engage in unnecessary self-censorship. The Government has responded to the public demand for change, and we welcome this long-overdue chance for reform. It must now ensure that the protections for free speech are as robust as possible.”
The “SPEECH Act” – A View From Abroad
Read this article by Harry Melkonian from the Media Law Resource Center Bulletin, August 2011.
The “SPEECH Act” Works:
June 30, 2011
“Dear Dr. Ehrenfeld:
I wanted to take a moment to make you aware that last week a US District Court in Florida issued what I believe to be the first judgment for declaratory relief granted under The SPEECH Act. The lawsuit, filed in January of this year, was styled:
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
TALLAHASSEE DIVISION
INVESTORSHUB.COM, INC., a
Florida corporation, MATTHEW BROWN,
an individual, and ROBERT ZUMBRUNNEN,
an individual,
Plaintiff,
vs.
MINA MAR GROUP, INC., a foreign
corporation, MINA MAR GROUP INC. (OF
THE USA), n/k/a, EMRY CAPITAL GROUP,
INC., a foreign corporation, and MIRO
ZECEVIC, an individual,
Defendants.
____________________________________/
Case No.: 4:11cv9-RH/WS
The defendants (the foreign plaintiffs) originally tried to defend the US lawsuit but later amended some of their answers, removed all of their affirmative defenses and subsequently agreed to a Stipulated Judgment.
I would like to personally thank you for your tireless efforts in helping to bring about this important new law to protect American citizens and CDA protected websites from libel tourists.
Kindest Regards,
Dave Lawrence”
Read the judgment to which Mr. Lawrence refers.
Use of Intimidation In Civil Liberties: Recent Cases In the OSCE Area
Read the paper presented to the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, September, 2009.
Presented on behalf of the International Civil Liberties Alliance, Pax Europa Mission Europa, and Wiener Akademirbund.