Daily Alert

Libel Tourism: International Forum
Shopping for Defamation Claims

This briefing paper examines the promise and peril of libel tourism – the practice of suing in a court outside the claimant’s home country in order to increase the likelihood of winning a libel case. Libel tourism has reached the headlines recently due to an increase in the number of persons who have discovered the advantages of bringing libel actions in England. In the last decade, Roman Polanski (an American living in France) brought a successful libel action against Vanity Fair (an American magazine), Khalid Bin Mahfouz (a Saudi who also holds Irish citizenship) brought numerous libel actions with some success against defendants from around the world, Boris Berezovsky (a Russian) succeeded in persuading the House of Lords of his right to sue Forbes (an American magazine) and Rinat Akhmetov (a Ukrainian) successfully sued Kyiv Post and Obozrevatel (two Ukrainian internet journals). The practical result of the liberal English approach towards foreign libel claims is to chill speech throughout the world. Everyone who publishes a statement that will appear on the internet, or in a book that can be sold in England, must be aware that an English court will be ready to entertain a libel suit against the writer, subjecting him or her to the pro-plaintiff English legal standards.
Share this

Table of Contents

Abraham (Avi) Bell

Avi Bell is Professor of the Faculty of Law, Bar Ilan University and University of San Diego Law School, he is a senior fellow at Kohelet Policy Forum. He specializes in international law, particularly the laws of war. Prof. Bell served in an IDF reserve paratrooper brigade in combat in the Second Lebanon war.
Share this

Subscribe to Daily Alert

The Daily Alert – Israel news digest appears every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Related Items

Stay Informed, Always

Get the latest news, insights, and updates directly in your inbox—be the first to know!







Notifications

The Jerusalem Center
Israeli Embassy in London Was the Target of Foiled Iranian Terror Plot

The Israeli Embassy in London was the target of a terror plot by five Iranian nationals who were arrested by British police last weekend, according to people familiar with the matter. The five men were detained on Saturday on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, in an operation led by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terror Command.

4:31pm
The Jerusalem Center
Biden’s Gaza Humanitarian Aid Pier Injured Far More US Service Members Than Previously Reported

Over 60 U.S. military personnel were injured and one killed during the construction and deployment of former President Joe Biden’s humanitarian aid pier off the coast of Gaza, indicating that the failed project was more dangerous than previously believed, according to a new report released by the Pentagon Inspector General on Tuesday.

4:30pm
The Jerusalem Center
Syrian Leader Says Country Has Held Indirect Talks with Israel

President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria said on Wednesday that Syria had held indirect talks with Israel to contain escalating tensions, days after Israeli jets struck the capital, Damascus, amid deepening sectarian violence inside the country.

4:29pm
The Jerusalem Center
Marco Rubio To Close State Department’s De Facto Palestinian Embassy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will dissolve the State Department’s Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA), a Biden-era creation that elevated relations with the Palestinian Authority. In the early hours of Hamas’s October 7 attack, the OPA called on Israel to stand down and forgo any retaliation.

4:27pm
The Jerusalem Center
Houthis say U.S. “Backed Down” and Israel Not Covered by Ceasefire

A senior Houthi official has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim the Yemeni armed group “capitulated” when agreeing a ceasefire deal, saying the U.S. “backed down” instead.

4:21pm
The Jerusalem Center
Vice President Vance: Iran Can Have “Civil Nuclear Power” but No Weapon

Vice President JD Vance said at a conference in Washington on Wednesday that Iran can have a “civil nuclear program” but not a “nuclear weapons program,” offering yet another confusing signal about the Trump administration’s position on Iran’s nuclear capabilities as negotiations with the Islamic Republic are set to enter their fourth round.

4:16pm

Close