National Petition for Libel Law Reform
Add your voice www.libelreform.org
***UPDATE 21st September 2010*** Libel laws stifle debate: will the coalition stop the chill? The Libel Reform campaign visits the three main party conferences. More here. Read the new campaign leaflet: Reforming Libel: What must a Defamation Bill achieve? here
***UPDATE 24th August 2010*** Are you a blogger and can you help? More here
***UPDATE 11th August 2010*** President Obama acts to protect US writers from UK libel laws." More here
***UPDATE 15th July 2010*** Sense About Science and Simon Singh win at Medical Journalists' Association Awards Read here
***UPDATE 14th July 2010*** In the US the SPEECH Act against libel tourism is approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and referred to the full Senate. See the text of the bill here and follow its progress here. Read coverage here
Older news here.
We have joined with English PEN and Index on Censorship in a coalition to campaign for libel reform. English PEN and Index on Censorship launched their 'Free Speech Is Not For Sale' report in early November. It detailed the chilling effect of English libel law on freedom of expression in the UK and across the world. Following the case of the science writer Simon Singh being sued for libel for an article in the Guardian, Sense About Science's campaign for scientific and academic freedom from libel threats has attracted nearly 20,000 supporters. Together, as a coalition, we are campaigning for major libel law reform.
This campaign takes over from the work we have been doing to Keep Libel Laws out of Science (for more, see below). England's libel laws are unjust, against the public interest and internationally criticised - there is urgent need for reform. For the first time in over a century we have an opportunity to change our unfair and repressive libel laws. We are calling on politicians to support a bill for major reform of the libel laws now, in the interests of fairness and free speech.
Tracey Brown, Managing Director, Sense About Science: "We have to show politicians that small tinkering with the libel laws won't do - we need a real public interest defence. Otherwise, there will be more cases like those against Simon Singh and Peter Wilmshurst, and the libel laws will continue to be the tools of well-funded bullies who want to silence criticism."
Use our timeline to see key events from the Keep Libel Laws Out of Science campaign and the Libel Reform Campaign, as well as milestones from science writer Simon Singh's case against the British Chiropractic Association. Click on boxes to find out more, and to see photos, videos, and media coverage from each of the different events.
Sense About Science launches Keep Libel Laws out of Science
Sunday 3 October 2010
Sense About Science | National Petition for Libel Law Reform
