Mexico Media Freedom Research Consultant

JOB SUMMARY

The American Bar Association (ABA) Center for Human Rights (CHR) is the ABA’s focal entity for critical human rights concerns in the United States and around the world. The Center mobilizes lawyers to defend threatened advocates, protect vulnerable communities, and hold governments accountable under law.

The ABA Center for Human Rights seeks to contract with an organization or individual to conduct Media Freedom research for its new program focusing on state-level criminal codes in Mexico that allow for defamation suits against journalists and laws regulating Mexican civil society.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Working together with the ABA staff, the Media Freedom Research Consultant will:

• Identify which state-level criminal codes still have provisions to prosecute defamation
• Research and provide legal analysis of relevant domestic law and practices
• Gather and review case documents in preliminary proceedings and selected judgments (final number to be determined by the ABA)
• Arrange and conduct key informant interviews with relevant parties, including defense lawyers, journalists, law professors, etc.
• Draft a report analyzing trends and patterns in state-level criminal codes enabling criminal defamation cases against journalists, with legal analysis based on international norms and practices
• Map the current laws and regulations governing civil society in Mexico
• Perform other related tasks as necessary and agreed upon between the contractor and the ABA

QUALIFICATIONS

• 6+ years of experience conducting research for NGOs and/or international organizations, specifically on media freedom issues;
• Familiarity with media freedom issues in Mexico required;
• Understanding of Mexican domestic law, specifically crime code and procedures
• Native Spanish-speaker; and English strongly preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Creativity and flexibility