Europe Counters Abusive Lawsuits Aimed at Stifling Free Expression
Europe Counters Abusive Lawsuits Aimed at Stifling Free Expression
SLAPPs are abusive legal actions aimed at preventing, restricting or penalizing free expression in matters of public interest.
The second European Anti-SLAPP Conference, held in Strasbourg on 14 November, addressed ways of effectively implementing the legislative and policy frameworks recently adopted in Europe to counter strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), including the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers Recommendation and European Union (EU) legislation.
SLAPPs are abusive legal actions aimed at preventing, restricting or penalizing free expression in matters of public interest and the exercise of rights associated with public participation. They are often used against journalists and other media actors, but also against civil society organizations and activists, human rights defenders and academics.
Speaking at the opening, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge said: “Our new recommendation, our range of activities, and this conference, are together, a statement of our determination to ensure that journalists, academics, and authors can pursue their profession without obstacles and hindrance that inhibits free media and freedom of expression”.
[ Pressed Reporter: Humanitarian Service to Protect Journalists and Press Freedom in the World ]
Organized by the Council of Europe, the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the conference gathered representatives of the Council of Europe, the EU, the European Parliament, CASE coalition members, SLAPP victims, experts, journalists, media professionals, lawyers, policymakers, free speech advocates, academics, ombudspersons, judges and civil society representatives.
The conference aimed to promote the newly adopted legal instruments to counter SLAPPS and initiatives that will assist in implementing such standards at national level. It also features testimonies from SLAPP targets and victims and features the work of CASE and other European civil society organizations on combating SLAPPs.
In April 2024, alarmed by the chilling effect that abusive lawsuits have on freedom of expression and public participation, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a Recommendation calling on the 46 Council of Europe member states to devise comprehensive and effective strategies to counter SLAPPs.
The Recommendation contains a set of guidelines intended to apply to civil lawsuits, as well as to administrative and criminal law contexts, and to legal intimidation tactics.
Courtesy: Council of Europe
