THE INDEPENDENT: How could it have come to this? We live in a country where respect for free speech and the written word is centuries old, yet legislators in other countries feel they must pass laws protecting their citizens' liberties against British judges. In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a law giving legislators the power to block libel judgments passed in the British courts. Three other American states have similar laws, all prompted by a judgment against the US author Rachel Ehrenfeld.
In her 2003 book Funding Evil, Dr Ehrenfeld accused a Saudi banker of providing financial support for al-Qa'ida and Hamas. Dr Ehrenfeld's book was not published in Britain, but about 20 copies were bought online through UK-registered websites, and some content was available online. On that flimsy basis, the aggrieved banker cleverly chose to sue Dr Ehrenfeld in London, where his case was heard by our most eminent libel judge, David Eady, who ordered the writer to pay £30,000 damages to the banker and his two sons, plus costs. >>> | Saturday, October 17, 2009
