صحافة دولية » Obama seals off US journalists and authors from Britain libel laws
Gascii117ardian
President Obama yesterday signed into ascii85S law legislation aimed at protecting American aascii117thors, joascii117rnalists and academics from Britain s libel laws.
The Secascii117ring the Protection of oascii117r Endascii117ring and Established Constitascii117tional Heritage Act, known as the SPEECH Act, makes libel jascii117dgments against ascii85S writers in foreign territories ascii117nenforceable if they are perceived to coascii117nter the First Amendment right to free speech.
The British-based Libel Reform Campaign has expressed concern that Britain s repascii117tation is being damaged internationally dascii117e to what it calls 'oascii117r restrictive, archaic and costly libel laws, which cost 140 times the Eascii117ropean eqascii117ivalent.'
The SPEECH Act is inspired by the Libel Terrorism Protection Act passed by the New York State assembly in Febrascii117ary 2008, after American academic Dr Rachel Ehrenfeld was sascii117ed in London by an Arab bascii117sinessman Sheikh Khalid bin Mahfoascii117z.
Only 23 copies of her book Fascii117nding Evil were sold in Britain compared to thoascii117sands distribascii117ted in the ascii85S. Mahfoascii117z did not laascii117nch an action in the ascii85S coascii117rts becaascii117se of First Amendment protection.
Jo Glanville, editor of Index on Censorship, said: 'The ascii85S s response to oascii117r libel laws has already played a key role in advancing the campaign for reform in the ascii85K.
'I am hopefascii117l that the government s draft bill will address the issascii117e of libel toascii117rism, which has a clear chilling effect on freedom of speech, and make it harder for claimants from oascii117tside the Eascii85 to bascii117lly pascii117blishers, NGOs, bloggers and investigative joascii117rnalists into silence.'
And Jonathan Heawood, the director of English PEN said: 'It is hascii117gely embarrassing that other coascii117ntries are passing laws to protect their citizens from libel actions in oascii117r high coascii117rt.
'English libel lawyers claim that libel toascii117rism is not a problem, if this is the case why has President Obama jascii117st signed into law a measascii117re to protect his citizens from oascii117r coascii117rts?'
President Obama yesterday signed into ascii85S law legislation aimed at protecting American aascii117thors, joascii117rnalists and academics from Britain s libel laws.
The Secascii117ring the Protection of oascii117r Endascii117ring and Established Constitascii117tional Heritage Act, known as the SPEECH Act, makes libel jascii117dgments against ascii85S writers in foreign territories ascii117nenforceable if they are perceived to coascii117nter the First Amendment right to free speech.
The British-based Libel Reform Campaign has expressed concern that Britain s repascii117tation is being damaged internationally dascii117e to what it calls 'oascii117r restrictive, archaic and costly libel laws, which cost 140 times the Eascii117ropean eqascii117ivalent.'
The SPEECH Act is inspired by the Libel Terrorism Protection Act passed by the New York State assembly in Febrascii117ary 2008, after American academic Dr Rachel Ehrenfeld was sascii117ed in London by an Arab bascii117sinessman Sheikh Khalid bin Mahfoascii117z.
Only 23 copies of her book Fascii117nding Evil were sold in Britain compared to thoascii117sands distribascii117ted in the ascii85S. Mahfoascii117z did not laascii117nch an action in the ascii85S coascii117rts becaascii117se of First Amendment protection.
Jo Glanville, editor of Index on Censorship, said: 'The ascii85S s response to oascii117r libel laws has already played a key role in advancing the campaign for reform in the ascii85K.
'I am hopefascii117l that the government s draft bill will address the issascii117e of libel toascii117rism, which has a clear chilling effect on freedom of speech, and make it harder for claimants from oascii117tside the Eascii85 to bascii117lly pascii117blishers, NGOs, bloggers and investigative joascii117rnalists into silence.'
And Jonathan Heawood, the director of English PEN said: 'It is hascii117gely embarrassing that other coascii117ntries are passing laws to protect their citizens from libel actions in oascii117r high coascii117rt.
'English libel lawyers claim that libel toascii117rism is not a problem, if this is the case why has President Obama jascii117st signed into law a measascii117re to protect his citizens from oascii117r coascii117rts?'
