Jean Paul Ibambe is a Rwandan lawyer specializing in media law, freedom of expression, and human rights. He is a member of the Rwanda Bar Association (RBA), the East African Law Society (EALS), and several local and regional initiatives promoting human rights. With over 16 years of experience in journalism, media regulation, legal practice, and human rights advocacy, he currently defends journalists in legal battles through litigation and constitutional petitions.

He is a founding member of H-I LEX Partners, a law firm based in Kigali, Rwanda, and has served as a Legal Advisor to the Rwanda Media Commission (RMC), Rwanda’s media self-regulatory body mandated to oversee the daily functioning of the media and the conduct of journalists. Before transitioning into law, he worked as a reporter and news editor for various Rwanda-based news organizations.

He also spent four years at the Legal Aid Forum—a non-profit network of 38 Rwandan legal aid organizations—where he advocated for the promotion of human rights, including the decriminalization of defamation and the advancement of responsible freedom of expression.

Jean Paul holds academic credentials from the National University of Rwanda and the Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD). He has completed the UNESCO–Oxford University MOOC on international standards on freedom of expression, access to information, and the safety of journalists for judicial actors, and has pursued further studies at the University of Kansas and Arizona State University, among others.

He is currently a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow in Law and Human Rights at Arizona State University in the United States.