New Delhi: The findings of a research report published on September 9, 2025 by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA), and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association indicate that national laws in many of the 56 Commonwealth member countries severely impede press freedom and unduly restrict the right to freedom of expression.

According to the report, 213 journalists were killed in 19 Commonwealth countries between 2006 and 2023, and in 96% of cases the perpetrators have not been brought to justice. Moreover, 41 Commonwealth countries maintain criminal penalties for defamation; 48 retain laws related to sedition; and 37 have blasphemy-like legislations, says the report.

“The almost complete failure of Commonwealth countries to prosecute and punish those responsible for the killings of over 200 journalists in 20 years is shameful. This culture of impunity must be swept away. A genuine Commonwealth engagement to protect the truth-tellers from threats and reprisals would give the organisation a vital new sense of purpose at a time when the concept of truth is under fierce attack,” said William Horsley of the Commonwealth Journalists Association.

The report titled Who Controls the Narrative? Legal Restrictions on Freedom of Expression in the Commonwealth, finds that criminal provisions for speech offences, including defamation and sedition, as well as violations of national security laws, are arbitrarily applied to intimidate and silence journalists, human rights defenders, and government critics.

The report is based on a close analysis of the national legal frameworks and draws on testimonies from over 30 senior journalists and 35 lawyers across Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific regions.

The report concludes that the Commonwealth’s past inaction has contributed to the serious and persistent challenges to the protection of freedom of expression and the rule of law in some member countries.

'Too many Commonwealth countries continue to enforce colonial-era laws'

The three Commonwealth accredited organisations behind the report have called on all member states to urgently repeal laws that criminalise legitimate public speech. The organisations have also called for decisive action to protect media workers and others who perform a public watchdog role from violence and intimidation.

“Too many Commonwealth countries continue to enforce colonial-era laws that criminalise speech and silence dissent, in clear violation of their international obligations. The media principles adopted by heads of government in Samoa provide a timely opportunity for member states to take concrete steps –through law reform and institutional safeguards – to protect freedom of expression and align national laws with international human rights standards,” said Sneh Aurora, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Director.

The report urges the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) to fulfil its mandate to address systematic constraints on civil society and the media.

In October 2024, in a major breakthrough, Commonwealth leaders had adopted a landmark set of guidelines on freedom of expression and the media’s role in good governance at their summit meeting in Samoa.

That decision had followed an eight-year campaign of advocacy and consultation led by representative grass roots organisations affiliated to the Commonwealth.

The report urges the secretariat and member states to act resolutely, together with non-governmental organisations, to ensure observance of the 11-point Commonwealth Principles on Freedom of Expression and the Role of the Media in Good Governance  adopted by Heads of Government in Samoa.

These media principles call on governments to create a safe and enabling environment for media workers, and to review and consider amending unduly restrictive domestic laws that inhibit free speech both online and offline.

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