A Mexican lawyer specializing in freedom of expression, media freedom, digital rights, and access to information, Mr. Leopoldo Maldonado Gutiérrez, has been appointed as the new United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
Appointed in July 2026 by the UN Human Rights Council at its 62nd session, Mr. Maldonado takes over from Ms Irene Khan, a British-Bangladeshi lawyer and human rights activist, who is currently serving as the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations after completing her tenure as Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression in June 2026.
Announcing his appointment, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that Mr. Maldonado has nearly 20 years of professional experience working on the protection of journalists, human rights defenders, and civic space. It added that throughout his career, he has combined legal practice, strategic advocacy, public policy, research, and engagement with international human rights mechanisms.
Before he was appointed as Special Rapporteur, Mr. Maldonado served as Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America, where he led programmes on freedom of expression, access to information, protection of journalists, digital rights, and democratic governance.
During his thirteen years with ARTICLE 19, he previously served as lawyer, Head of the Protection Programme, and Deputy Director. He coordinated documentation of attacks against journalists and human rights defenders, strategic litigation, legal and policy analysis, regional advocacy, and institutional development. He also contributed to major investigations into unlawful surveillance and spyware targeting journalists and civil society, as well as policy work on platform governance, artificial intelligence, and digital regulation.
Before joining ARTICLE 19, Mr. Maldonado worked for more than four years at the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center (Centro Prodh), where he provided legal assistance to victims of human rights violations, documented emblematic cases, participated in strategic litigation before domestic and international bodies, contributed to publications on human rights, and engaged in public hearings before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. His work also contributed to cases litigated before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
He has extensive experience engaging with international and regional human rights mechanisms; participated in proceedings before the UN human rights system and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, contributed to shadow reports, thematic submissions, and individual petitions, and represented civil society organizations in international advocacy processes.
Mr. Maldonado has worked closely with governments, national human rights institutions, journalists’ organizations, academic institutions, and international organizations to promote legal and policy reforms consistent with international human rights standards.
He served as a member of the Governing Board of Mexico’s Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, where he contributed to strengthening protection policies and participated in a two-year dialogue process with law enforcement institutions to improve relations between police forces and journalists through practical guidelines and confidence-building measures.
He also served on the Advisory Committee of IFEX Latin America and the Caribbean and on the Executive Committee of Iniciativa Manifiesta, a coalition of 37 civil society organizations promoting freedom of association.
Mr. Maldonado has contributed to international research and policy discussions on freedom of expression and digital governance through the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Media Freedom Coalition, and academic institutions, including the Institute for Legal Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
His work has focused particularly on the impact of artificial intelligence, platform governance, surveillance technologies, and content moderation on human rights.
He has published more than 200 opinion articles on freedom of expression, democracy, and human rights in leading Mexican media outlets and has contributed to academic publications of the National University of México and the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. He has also served as editor and contributor to ARTICLE 19’s annual regional reports on freedom of expression and access to information.
Mr. Maldonado holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master’s Degree in Human Rights from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.
Established in 1993 by the then UN Commission on Human Rights, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression includes:
- To gather all relevant information, wherever it may occur, relating to violations of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, discrimination against, threats, or use of violence, harassment, persecution or intimidation directed at persons seeking to exercise or to promote the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including, as a matter of high priority, against journalists or other professionals in the field of information;
- To seek, receive, and respond to credible and reliable information from Governments, non-governmental organizations and any other parties who have knowledge of these cases;
- To make recommendations and provide suggestions on ways and means to better promote and protect the right to freedom of opinion and expression in all its manifestations; and
- To contribute to the provision of technical assistance or advisory services by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to better promote and protect the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
