Publication Date: September 2020
Publisher: Index on Censorship
Research and Editorial Team: Jessica Ní Mhainín, Mark Frary
Link: https://www.indexoncensorship.org/campaigns/breaking_the_silence_report_slapps/
Breaking the silence. A new report on the legal measures that will give journalists back their voices

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SLAPPs: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation

This analysis is the result of a group discussion organized by Index on Censorship on 8 July 2020: distinguished legal experts and practitioners from across Europe met virtually to talk about SLAPPs on the basis of a report previously published by Index.

The experts discussed the trends in order to identify implementable measures that could prevent strategic lawsuits against public participation.

This report also includes separate inputs from three lawyers: Swedish lawyer Ulf Isaksson, Italian lawyer Andrea di Pietro, and Norwegian lawyer Jon Wessel-Aas.

The main problems of SLAPPs are listed to be: defamation laws, privacy and GDPR, libel tourism and an increasingly hostile media environment.

Among the measures suggested and analysed: full application of ECtHR law, training for judges and journalists, introduction of anti-Slapp legislation and rethinking the role of the jury, in order to let slapp cases been dismissed at an early stage.

One of the most efficient defence tools is considered to be building networks and encouraging solidarity.

Tags: SLAPP

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