Media Rights Agenda

Description

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) is a Nigerian organization based in Lagos. It promotes and protects freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information and digital rights. It was established in 1993 as an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization and incorporated in 1997. It holds Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

MRA works through several programmes. Its Litigation Programme offers legal assistance to journalists who are arrested, detained, charged, assaulted or harassed while working. It also pursues class actions meant to produce broad judicial rulings favourable to media freedom. It litigates before Nigerian courts and international forums, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

It says it has brought more freedom of expression and media freedom cases there than any other organization on the continent. Through a nationwide network of FOI lawyers, it also provides free legal representation to individuals and civil society organisations denied access to information held by government bodies. Its Advocacy and Campaigns Programme pushed for the reform of Nigeria’s media laws. It led the campaign for the Freedom of Information Act, which MRA proposed and which became law in 2011.

The Act gives citizens the right to access information held by government agencies and private bodies performing public functions. MRA also runs international campaigns, filing complaints with bodies such as the African Commission, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and UN special rapporteurs on freedom of expression and on the independence of judges and lawyers. It usually does this in response to arrests, harassment or closure of media outlets.

MRA also carries out research and publishes work on media freedom, freedom of expression, access to information and digital rights. It runs training workshops, seminars and conferences for journalists on these subjects, sometimes helping them access training opportunities abroad. It is governed by a Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, with day-to-day work carried out by a Secretariat led by an Executive Director.