It’s an obscenity that the machinery of the British legal system can be used to target & harass journalists. This has to stop. I am profoundly grateful to Gavin Millar QC for setting out the legal & moral case for why we must defend public interest journalism.
And I survived 🙏
I wasn’t on trial for my life. But I was. My professional reputation, my career, potentially my home. I survived because I had to. And because I was lifted & supported by so many others who understood this was about something much bigger than me. And that I couldn’t do it alone.
What happens next is up to the judge. The verdict won’t be for weeks. But no-one who witnessed what happened in court can be in any doubt that this was about more than 23 words. The entire process was designed to punish, shame & humiliate me.
But I wasn’t shamed & humiliated. The amazing @jesssearch told me on first morning this is the advice given to female survivors of sexual assault. You can’t be shamed if you choose not to be. It’s in your control. It’s a Jedi mind trick & it works. I chose not to be.
So whatever happens, I won. I’m still standing. Because nearly 30,000 people have had my back & contributed to my 2 crowdfunders. Because I had a wall of people around me this week. And because I’ve decided: I will not be shamed.
This is a landmark case for the public interest defence. Judge must decide: were the words my honest belief. And was that belief reasonable. That’s it. Whatever happens, *I* know the truth. Of overwhelming public interest of the story. And that I couldn’t have worked any harder
My evidence included a tape recording of Banks’s associate Andy Wigmore admitting to illegally surveilling a journalist. And 2 days ago, @liambyrnemp told parliament, MI5 found evidence the information commissioner was being illegally surveilled by Banks independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
‘Reporting by Observer & Guardian journalist Carole Cadwalladr on the “covert relationship” between multimillionaire Brexit backer Arron Banks & Russian govt was of greatest public interest imaginable, her lawyer told the high court.’ By @Haroon_Siddique theguardian.com/world/2022/jan…
And earlier tweet got deleted so here’s @rebecca_vincent of @RSF_en who monitored the case on behalf of 19 freedom of expression orgs. So grateful for them all 🙏
NEW: I'm seeking permission to appeal in the Supreme Court. There's no meaningful free expression in this country if after proving your speech is lawful, you're hit with £££ costs: a devastating ruling that will chill public interest journalism
by @_EmmaGH theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/m…
This was filed today in the Court of Appeal. If the Supreme Court rejects it, we believe there’s a strong case to take it to the European Court of Human Rights.
Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights puts an obligation on states to ensure freedom of expression. According to the ruling in this case, it's very far from free: even if you can prove your speech is lawful, it'll still cost you hundreds of thousands of pounds...
It's been a long time but v happy to be back in @ObserverUK today with 2 pieces, both close to my heart. And to launch a new project with @allthecitizens.
1/ An astonishing new claim that MI5 refused to investigate Russian spy's infiltration of Tory party theguardian.com/politics/2023/…
2/ Delighted to profile the fierce & brilliant @pevchikh for @ObsNewReview. If you've seen the Navalny doc, she's the woman sitting by Navalny's side as he calls one of his FSB poisoners & gets him to confess to Novichoking his underpants. theguardian.com/world/2023/jan…
3/ Finally, the story of how the Kremlin captured Britain. And how the UK government covered it up. If you've wondered why no British broadcaster has told the real story behind the Russia Report, please watch this & consider contributing.
My jaw hit the floor when I discovered Boris Johnson left an emergency NATO meeting after the Kremlin’s chemical warfare attack on Britain & flew to an off-the-books meeting with an ex-KGB spy.
In July 2019, Johnson had just been made PM. And @nickhopkinsnews published 2 extraordinary stories about Foreign Secretary Johnson flying from a NATO meeting to a party in Italy at the height of the Skripal crisis.
The party was at Evgeny Lebedev’s villa. The owner of Independent & Evening Standard.
Hopkins’s first story suggested he’d given his security detail the slip to fly to Italy. Then a Guardian reader supplied photos of him leaving: hungover & dishevelled 3/
Thank you to the judge, my stellar legal team & the 29,000 people who contributed to my legal defence fund. I literally couldn’t have done it without you 🙏🙏🙏
I haven't read the judgment yet but what I can say that the last 3 years have been extraordinarily difficult. Fighting this has been a crushing, debilitating, all-consuming experience that I sincerely hope no other journalist ever has to go through. 2/ judiciary.uk/judgments/bank…
The fact that his case was brought clearly shows how our libel laws favour the rich & powerful. I was only able to defend myself because of the incredibly generous support of the public. But this judgment is a huge victory for public interest journalism.
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