Anti-SLAPP Conference

RESOURCES

There are a number of resources to find out more information about SLAPPs, initiatives to counter them as well as practical support.

PRACTICAL AND LEGAL SUPPORT

PRACTICAL SUPPORT:
  • Am I Facing a SLAPPs case? Index on Censorship has developed this tool to help journalists to understand whether the legal threat or action they are facing might be classified as a Slapp. This assessment is intended as a helpful tool and not as legal advice. 
LEGAL SUPPORT:
  • The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) proffers and coordinates legal support on matters related to free speech for individuals and organisations working in countries located geographically in Europe. 
  • The Coalition against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) provides a map based directory of law firms providing pro-bono legal support across Europe.
REPORTING A CASE:
  • If you think you are being subject to a SLAPP, you can report it to CASE. 
  • If your case specifically pertains to the UK, you can get in touch with the UK anti-SLAPP coalition (through its co-chairs – Charlie Holt, UK Campaigns Advisor, English PEN – charlie@englishpen.org; Susan Coughtrie, Deputy Director, The Foreign Policy Centre – susan.coughtrie@fpc.org.uk; or Nik Williams, Policy and Campaigns Officer, Index on Censorship – nik@indexoncensorship.org)

 

THE LEGAL NETWORK FOR JOURNALISTS AT RISK (LNJAR)

The Legal Network for Journalists at Risk (LNJAR) was founded by the Committee to Protect Journalists, Media Defence and the Thomson Reuters Foundation to meet the growing need for legal support among independent journalists and media outlets. The LNJAR is a network of expert member organisations who have come together to create a single access-point to an ecosystem of legal support. Journalists facing legal attacks can contact any one of the member organisations individually, or email the Network directly. LNJAR members will work together to combine the different support available, tailoring its response to each case. This ensures that member organisations make the best possible use of limited resources and avoid duplication when providing legal support. To strengthen the legal environment for media freedom, member organisations will also collaborate on capacity building initiatives and advocacy.

INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS SLAPP

  • The Model UK Anti-SLAPP Law, developed by the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition in consultation with senior lawyers from across the sector to advance robust protection against SLAPPs within the parameters of the Ministry of Justice’s proposed legislative framework. Launched in Parliament at an event co-hosted by MPs David Davis and Liam Byrne on 22 November 2022.
  • The UK anti-SLAPP coalition has a policy paper  ‘On Countering Legal Intimidation and SLAPPs in the UK’. The UK anti-SLAPP coalition is an informal working group established in January 2021, co-chaired by the Foreign Policy Centre, Index on Censorship and English PEN. It comprises a number of freedom of expression, whistleblowing, anti-corruption and transparency organisations, as well as media lawyers, researchers and academics who are researching, monitoring and highlighting cases of legal intimidation and SLAPPs, as well as seeking to develop remedies for mitigation and redress, including a potential UK anti-SLAPP law.
  • CASE’s model EU anti-SLAPP law is meant as a tool to show that EU rules to protect public watchdogs from SLAPPs are within reach and more needed than ever. It has already been endorsed by close to 70 organisations and media representatives from all over Europe.
  • CASE’s statement on the need for a Council of Europe (CoE) anti-SLAPP recommendation calls on the CoE to issue guidance on the measures needed to tackle SLAPPs in Europe. Despite the growing body of evidence of a rise in SLAPPs in Europe – including from the CoE’s safety of journalists platform – as of yet no specific recommendation has been issued by the CoE on the issue.

REPORTS THAT EXAMINE THE ISSUE OF SLAPP

"Weaponising the Law: Attacks on Media Freedom" report, published by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism

Bartosz Wieliński, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Gazeta Wyborcza, speaks about how the newspaper has been harassed with Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), with at least 90 lawsuits being filed against the daily since 2015.

Peruvian journalist Christopher Acosta talks about his experience of being sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine following a defamation lawsuit brought by politician César Acuña, a former governor and two-time presidential candidate. While the case was subsequently dropped, Acosta experienced a lengthy, emotional and financially heavy diversion from his journalistic work.