J.WALKER
Mon, 17 Apr 2000 08:42:07 -0700
Comrades, As a follow-up to an earlier posting I forwarded about internet censorship at the end of March. John Walker >X-Envelope-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: "Outcast Magazine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Outcast Magazine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: 'Net Libel' law to be challenged in Europe >Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 14:07:36 +0100 >Organization: Outcast Publishing Limited >X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 >X-Envelope-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >P R E S S R E L E A S E >For immediate use - 12th April 2000 > > >Outcast editor to challenge 'Net Libel' law in the >European Court of Human Rights > > >The editor of a radical current affairs magazine has begun a legal >challenge to amend the law that holds Internet Service Providers >(ISPs) liable for the content of all websites they host. It will be >the first European Court case concerning freedom of expression on the >Internet. > >Chris Morris will argue that the current law effectively prevents >small magazines and individuals from publishing controversial >articles on the Internet. Outcast's own website was suspended two >weeks ago because lawyers for a rival magazine warned Outcast's ISP, >NetBenefit PLC, that an article due to appear on the site next month >might be defamatory to their client. The site was closed down >immediately and is now hosted in exile on a server in America. > >Morris will be represented by David Price, a leading libel lawyer, >who will argue that the current law breaches Article 10 of the >European Convention of Human Rights - the right to freedom of speech. > >Chris Morris, said today: > >'The current law is unworkable. Whereas editors can make informed >decisions about whether to publish controversial articles, having >heard all the evidence, ISPs can only decide whether or not they >trust the word of the journalist. It would be very expensive for >them to fact check every article, so they err on the side of caution. > >'Ministers have been unable to give an assurance that this issue will >be given parliamentary time. A legal challenge seems to me to be the >only way to put this issue on the agenda, and ensure that the law is >clarified. > >'My case will not make it any easier for journalists to publish >libellous or dishonest material. I believe that journalists and >editors must always be held to account. But we should be accountable >to the courts, not to an ISP whose only interest in the article is a >commercial one.' > > >Notes to editors: > >- Outcast is a queer current affairs magazine run by volunteers. >Contributors include Peter Tatchell, Ken Livingstone MP, David Borrow >MP, Paul Burston, Mark Simpson, Chas Newkey-Burden, Emma Butcher and >many other well-known writers. > >- The magazine's website can be found at >http://www.outcastmagazine.co.uk =============================== John Walker email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] =============================== --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---