RWB lawyer wins award for defending freedom of information

The award is given to Paris-based lawyers for notable pro bono activities and in his case recognizes 11 years of distinguished work with Reporters Without Borders. In 2006, Balguy-Gallois helped Reporters Without Borders to draft a proposed resolution on the protection of journalists in armed conflicts which the French government submitted to the UN Security Council. After negotiations, the Security Council adopted it as Resolution 1738 on 23 December 2006. More recently, he helped Reporters Without Borders draft recommendations on the safety of journalists. Reporters Without Borders’ legal committee analyses legal issues involving freedom of information and provides legal aid to journalists in difficulty. It also makes recommendations aimed at improving regulations and legislation governing the right to information at the regional, national and international level. The committee has 14 members and sometimes turns to other legal experts and academics for ad hoc assistance. For more information, contact Prisca Orsonneau, the legal committee’s coordinator and member of the Paris bar association ([email protected] / +33 1 4483-6058). (Photo : Alexandra Lebon)