Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, UNESCO Montevideo Office and Dejusticia decided to join forces and partner up to create the Spanish version of the jurisprudence database on freedom of expression and access to information.  For the construction of this initiative they have worked alongside FLIP and the Externado University (Colombia) in the analysis and systematization of the most prominent Latin American jurisprudence on this matter.

The partners officially announced this joint pursuit to reinforce freedom of expression in the region through the building of a case law database in Spanish (based on the English model), following the conference hosted by the Supreme Court of Paraguay on jurisprudential dialogue, transparency and specialized training on freedom of expression and access to public information, in March 2015. The activity was held within the framework of the XVIII Ibero‐American Judicial Summit ‐ Working Group «Transparency and legal security for the legitimacy of the judge» where over ten countries from the region openly expressed their interest in collaborating with the partners to accomplish this project.

 Columbia University’s Global Freedom of Expression’s Case Law Database is supported by a network of international experts. It surveys Latin American jurisprudence, reviews exemplary cases, and engages in comparative analysis. The Database aims to identify national, regional and global trends as well as the influence of international standards.

This project has been under the direction of Catalina Botero Marino, former special rapporteur for freedom of expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The team has been coordinated by Sofia Jaramillo Otoya and has been composed by Liliana Torres Jimenez, Salomé Gómez Upegui, Camilo de la Cruz Arboleda and Mariana García Jimeno. Also, a group of graduate students from the Externado University have collaborated in the analysis of jurisprudence: Laura Marcela Rubiano Olivares, Carlos Arturo Duarte Martinez and Carolina Herrera Restrepo. This project has also benefited from the expert collaboration of Ramiro Alvarez Ugarte, Helena de Souza Rocha, Elisa Franco and Alejandra Negrete.