MEdia Law Training Program

SEE and Caucasus lawyers offered media law program


A four-week program to train specialist lawyers from Southeast Europe and
the South Caucasus in media litigation, particularly relating to the
European Court of Human Rights, is scheduled at St Peter's College, Oxford
University, between July 29 and August 23.

The program is offered to lawyers, who are currently working on media law
and advocacy, from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania
and Serbia.

The training will deal with defamation and libel cases, the drafting and
commenting on information freedom legislation, the use of human rights
arguments and litigation before the European Court of Human Rights,
Strasbourg. Other subjects will include media case law, licensing and
administration of licensing, Internet, legal and business aspects of media
practice, hate speech, copyright, and public service broadcasting.

Based on case studies, the program will use active teaching and learning
methods to encourage participation. An intense advocacy-training program
will complement lectures, seminars, and small group discussions.

The program will concentrate on issues of media freedom and institutional
media law and Internet regulation. The focus will be on freedom of
expression, information and the press, as guaranteed by the Article 10 of
the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamentals
Freedoms.

The training will be carried out by the Program in Comparative Media Law and
Policy, part of the Oxford University Center for Socio-Legal Studies. The
Open Society Institute is sponsoring the program. Organizers will cover all
expenses for participants, including travel, accommodations, meals and
tuition.

Applicants with a strong commitment to human rights - especially media law -
a law degree, eligibility for legal practice in their country and
proficiency in English may apply.

The deadline for receiving applications is Monday, June 10.

For more information, contact the Program in Comparative Media Law and
Policy, Bethany Davis Noll, Center for Socio-Legal Studies, Wolfson College,
Oxford, OX2 6UD United Kingdom. Telephone + 44 1865 284 220. Fax + 1 212 504
3024. E-mail [email protected]. Or Louise Scott, e-mail:
[email protected].

(May 22, 2002)