Jail and defamation: an international call to the Italian Constitutional Court - Article

Waiting for the hearing of the Consitutional Court scheduled for June 9th, the partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response call to the Court to cancel prison as a punishment for defamation. Qui la versione italiana

Carcere e giornalisti: l'appello del consorzio MFRR alla Consulta - Article

I partner del consorzio Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) si appellano alla Corte Costituzionale Italiana perché consideri incostituzionale la pena del carcere nelle condanne per diffamazione: un primo passo verso una riforma legislativa più ampia che adegui l’Italia agli standard europei

A gathering storm: the laws being used to silence the media - Reports

A review by Index on Censorship of how laws are being used in Europe to bring actions against journalists

SLAPP in the EU context - Reports

A research requested by the EU Commission about SLAPP, strategic lawsuits against public participation

Letter to the European Commission: legal abuse of lawsuits is a threat to journalists - Article

SLAPPs, strategic lawsuits against public participation, are a danger for media freedom and together with other media freedom and human rights ngos we signed a letter to the European Commission urging European institutions to find different solutions at different levels. Here the letter to Ms Pia Lindholm, Deputy Head of Unit for Civil Justice, Directorate-General Justice and Consumers of the European Commission

Media Freedom made in Scandinavia: six examples of best practices - Reports

This report of a fact-finding mission to Scandinavia organised by ECPMF with the participation of EFJ and OBCT shows policies and approaches that can inspire change for the better, suggesting what governments and media actors can do to defend media freedom

Advice concerning the introduction of anti-SLAPP legislation to protect freedom of expression in the European Union - Academic Sources

The paper analyses the current EU legal framework and recommends that the European Union adopt with urgency a series of measures to limit the abuse of defamation laws and the chilling effect on press freedom

Hands Off Press Freedom: Attacks on Media in Europe Must Not Become a New Normal - Reports

2020 Annual Report by the partner organisations to the Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists

SLAPPs: the Italian Case - Legal Resources

Strategic lawsuits threaten freedom of expression in Italy too: in this analysis, an overview of the situation, the threats, the chilling effect, and the bills currently under discussion in the Italian Parliament

Protect the Protest. Stopping SLAPP. Defending Dissent - Support Centres

A task force of nonprofit organizations that have long dealt with SLAPP threats (threats coming from strategic lawsuits against public participation).

The organizations of "Protect the Protest" have combined their expertise and collective power to protect the free speech of public interest advocates in the United States.

They declare: "An attack on one is now an attack on all".

The task force includes experienced lawyers, journalists, communications professionals, and activists, in order to stand together as one to expose courtroom bullying, and protect the right to boldly speak the truth.

The approach is threefold:

● Building Resilience to SLAPPs - providing resources and training for civil society organizations, community leaders, journalists, and the broader public on how to best protect themselves from SLAPPs and what to do if they’re targeted. This includes a network of attorneys to defend those facing SLAPPs, especially individuals and small organizations with extremely limited resources.

● Exposing SLAPPs and Those Who File Them - drawing on their own organizations’ campaigning, communications, and legal expertise to support public interest advocates and watchdogs targeted by SLAPPs. This includes campaigning against the biggest SLAPP offenders, as well as legal defense where resources allow.

● Campaigning on Strategic Issues - When a specific SLAPP poses a broader threat to civil society or to democracy, they mobilize their collective resources to protect the rights to free speech and peaceful protest. Likewise, when opportunities arise to advance anti-SLAPP policies or laws, we engage in close collaboration with other stakeholders.