Court Lifts super-injunction over Afghan data breach

On 15th July 2025, Mr Justice Chamberlain handed down judgment in Ministry of Defence v Global Media and Entertainment Ltd and others [2025] EWHC 1806 (KB). In this judgment, the Court explains why a superinjunction, granted on the application of the Ministry of Defence (“MoD”) on 1st September 2023, is now being discharged nearly two years later.

In 2022, an officer of the MoD released a dataset containing personal information and contact details of persons who applied for relocation to the UK from Afghanistan following the Taliban coup in 2021. The loss of this dataset was thought to put thousands of risk of extra-judicial killing or serious violence by the Taliban.

Journalists from the Daily Mail and Global Media and Entertainment notified the Claimant of the data breach. On 1st September 2023, Robin Knowles J granted a super-injunction, prohibiting disclosure of the data breach and of the existence of the injunction itself. The super-injunction has been described as “unprecedented”.

Jude Bunting KC was instructed for six media Defendants, who together opposed the renewal of the super-injunction. In May 2024, Chamberlain J decided to lift the injunction. The Court of Appeal over-turned that decision in July 2024. After a series of further review hearings, Chamberlain J decided to lift the super-injunction once and for all on 15th July 2025.

Jude Bunting KC, instructed by Pia Sarma of Times Media Limited, act for the First to Sixth Defendants. 

Media coverage includes: Daily Mail, The Times here and here, News Agents podcast here, Telegraph here, BBC here,  Guardian here, Independent here, Financial Times here.