Call for action to combat SLAPPs in European Union

In advance of  the launch of the European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP), GFMD has joined 60 other organisations – including many of our members – to show support for a model EU anti-SLAPP law proposing a set of rules which, if in place, would make sure that in each EU country SLAPPs are dismissed at an early stage of proceedings, SLAPP litigants pay for abusing the law and the courts, and SLAPP targets are given means and assistance to defend themselves.

SLAPP suits are a form of legal harassment. Pursued by law firms on behalf of powerful individuals and organisations who seek to avoid public scrutiny, their aim is to drain the target’s financial and psychological resources and chill critical voices to the detriment of public participation. SLAPPs are used to restrict the work of media professionals, significantly hindering media freedom and exerting extreme financial and legal pressure on journalists and media organisations. In doing so, SLAPPs allow wealthy and powerful litigants to stifle legitimate and justified scrutiny.

Currently, no EU country has enacted targeted rules that specifically shield against SLAPP suits. EU-wide rules providing for strong and consistent protection against SLAPP suits would mark a crucial step forward towards ending this abusive practice in EU Member States and serve as a benchmark for countries in the rest of Europe and beyond. Together with other legislative and non-legislative measures, it would contribute to secure a safer environment for public watchdogs and public participation in the EU.

This paper was drafted at the initiative of a coalition of non-governmental organisations from across Europe that have been working together over the past years to raise awareness and urge policy makers to protect public watchdogs such as journalists, rights defenders, activists and whistleblowers from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).

Signatories

1. ARTICLE 19
2. Articolo21
3. Association of European Journalists (AEJ)
4. Association of European Journalists (AEJ-Belgium)
5. Associazione Stampa Romana
6. Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC)
7. Centre for Peace Studies
8. Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties)
9. Civil Rights Defenders
10. Civil Society Europe
11. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
12. The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation
13. D.i.Re Donne in rete contro la violenza, Italy (network of women’s crisis centres)
14. Earth League International (ELI)
15. European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
16. European Civic Forum
    European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
17. European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
18. FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
19. Forum Trentino per la Pace e i Diritti Umani
20. FNSI, Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (The Union of Italian Journalists)
21. Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
22. Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
23. Greenpeace EU Unit
24. Government Accountability Project
25. Guardian News and Media Limited
26. Human Rights Centre “Antonio Papisca”, University of Padova, Italy
27. Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF)
28. Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU)
29. Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC)
30. IFEX
31. ILGA-Europe (European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association)
32. Index on Censorship
33. International Media Support (IMS)
34. International Press Institute (IPI)
35. Justice and Environment (J&E)
36. Media Defence
37. Media Diversity Institute (MDI)
38. Media Freedom Rapid Response
39. NGO Shipbreaking Platform
40. OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
41. Pištaljka
42. Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
43. Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE)
44. Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
45. Ossigeno per l’informazione
46. Oživení
47. PEN International
48. Platform for Independent Journalism (P24)
49. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
50. Rights International Spain (RIS)
51. Sindacato Cronisti Romani (Regional Journalists’ Union, Italy)
52. Sindacato Giornalisti del Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (Regional Journalists’ Union, Italy)
53. South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
54. SpeakOut SpeakUp Ltd (United Kingdom)
55. The Good Lobby
56. Towarzystwo Dziennikarskie, Poland (Society of Journalists)
57. Transparency International EU
58. Umweltinstitut München
59. UNESCO Chair “Human Rights, Democracy and Peace”, University of Padova
60. Whistleblowing International Network

The full paper can be found here.