Italy: wiretapping of journalists reporting on migration must be investigated - Article

The Media Freedom Rapid Response and partner organisations welcome the launch of an investigation into the wiretapping of journalists and their sources in Sicily. However, a robust, swift and systematic investigation will be essential for rebuilding trust and ensuring that all journalists, sources and legal professionals in Italy are protected

Open Letter to Croatian Minister of Justice to free whistleblower Jonathan Taylor - Article

Arrested last July, the British lawyer is still in Croatia at risk of extradiction to Monaco. The MFRR partners and several ngos ask Croatia to protect him

Thematic factsheet: SLAPP in Italy, a democratic emergency - Article

by Paola Rosà

A limited selection of cases from an ocean of lawsuits. A paper sent to the INI rapporteurs of the Draft Report on the strengthening democracy and media freedom and pluralism in the EU: the undue use of actions under civil and criminal law to silence journalists, NGOs and civil society

Call for National Researchers in Europe - Article

Access Info Europe is currently seeking independent, country-level researchers for several European countries to act as national researchers for the first edition of the Global Data Barometer (2020–2021)

France: one defamation action dropped, but the threat remains - Article

The MFRR welcomes the dropping of the defamation action against Inès Léraud but vexatious legal threats continue to threaten media freedom across Europe

Extradition proceedings against Jonathan Taylor need to end! - Article

A wide range of organisations calls on Croatia and Monaco to end extradition proceedings and asks the European Parliament to condemn the ongoing harassment of such an important whistleblower

Maltese court fails to protect press freedom: Gafà acquitted for threats to Nello Scavo - Article

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) condemns the court ruling in the criminal proceedings against Neville Gafà for threats he made on Twitter against Italian journalist Nello Scavo

SLAPP: a directive drafted by civil society organizations - Article

The international anti-SLAPP coalition invested time and funds to draft a model directive that would help tackle the issue of vexatious lawsuits: now this paper will be presented to EU institutions and stakeholders, and could serve as a pattern for the promised EU initiatives against SLAPPs

Italy: Nello Scavo and too many unanswered questions. An article for Mapping Media Freedom - Article

The platform Mapping Media Freedom hosts an article by the Italian journalist Nello Scavo, under police protection for threats received after the publication of his investigations about the traffic of human beings in Libya

Time to take action against SLAPPs - Article

Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, signs a comment about strategic lawsuits against public participation, calling them "a significant and growing threat to the right to freedom of expression"