Global Climate Legal Defense (CliDef) - Support Centres

Global Climate Legal Defense (CliDef) is a nonprofit initiative founded in November 2022 during COP27 by Equation Campaign. Its mission is to protect frontline climate defenders—activists, scientists, journalists, Indigenous leaders, parents, and students—who often face legal, financial, and political backlash for their work.

CliDef operates through a four-pronged strategy:

1. Providing legal advice and strategic planning to help individuals anticipate and respond to legal reprisals effectively;
2. Funding and supporting local lawyers and NGOs, since pro bono legal help is scarce in many regions; 
3. Coordinating legal support, matching defenders with the right attorneys and staying involved throughout cases;
4. Building a global legal network, expanding the pool of expertise—ranging from tax and defamation to criminal defense—to strengthen climate defenders worldwide.

CliDef ensures that those fighting for climate justice are not legally outgunned by fossil-fuel interests or government power, enabling them to continue their vital work.

The SLAPPs Research Group - Stakeholders

The SLAPPs Research Group is an independent research platform for a balanced and informed perspective on the issue of strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPPs) and anti-SLAPP reform. The Group aims to foster cooperation and interaction between different research perspectives on SLAPPs from around the world.

SLAPP in Italy: Testimonies from Those Targeted by Legal Harassment Tuesday 10 June 2025 - Infographic

. Corruption and the environment are the issues most frequently at the center of these disputes, confirming the urgent need to take action to protect those who fight for the common good. On December 9, 2024 ... In Italy, the systematic use of vexatious lawsuits (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation – SLAPPs) and other forms of legal harassment aimed at silencing critical voices is a worrying ... SLAPP in Italy: Testimonies from Those Targeted by Legal Harassment

Malta: Guilty verdicts in Daphne Caruana Galizia case mark another step towards full justice - Article

Media freedom groups welcome conviction of two gang members who supplied car bomb which killed Maltese journalist

Poland: New president urged to commit to press freedom reforms - Article

Following the victory of Karol Nawrocki in Poland’s presidential election on 1 June, the undersigned media freedom organisations today call on the president elect to commit to building a cross-party consensus required to bolster press freedom and strengthen Polish democracy

Am I facing a SLAPP? - Reports

An interactive tool for self-assessment supplied by Index on Censorship launched on May 27th, “Am I facing a SLAPP?” was developed by leading anti-SLAPP experts in order to offer a first evaluating instrument to raise awareness and empower SLAPP targets to quickly assess their situation

Croatia: a country dossier ahead of the MFRR Media Freedom mission - Article

A dossier that highlights what is at stake in Croatia and for the journalists working in the country, ahead of the visit of the MFRR delegation to Zagreb.

Hungary: Foreign funding bill poses most serious threat to independent media in years - Article

OBCT joins MFRR partners in urging the EU to take action against Hungary’s proposed foreign funding bill, which poses a serious threat to freedom of expression and media freedom

Croatia: MFRR Media Freedom Mission to Visit Zagreb - Article

Between 19 and 21 May, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partner organisations will conduct a press freedom mission to Zagreb, Croatia.

France: MFRR and RSF renew calls to end police violence after new attacks on journalists at May Day protest - Article

OBCT joins freedom of expression organizations in condemning state security forces' violence against journalists covering the International Workers’ Day protest in Paris