Human Rights Centre supports proposal for an EU anti-SLAPP law

On 1 December 2020 a model EU anti-SLAPP Directive has been released: SLAPP stands for Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (see also here). Together with a broad network of NGOs the Human Rights Centre supports the advocacy and initiatives for anti-SLAPP legislation at the level of the EU. SLAPPs are pursued on behalf of powerful individuals and organisations who seek to avoid public scrutiny, while their aim is to drain the target’s financial and psychological resources and chill critical voices to the detriment of public participation.

The model for an EU anti-SLAPP Directive proposes a set of rules that should guarantee that in each EU country SLAPPs can be dismissed at an early stage of proceedings, that SLAPP litigants pay for abusing the law and the courts, and that SLAPP targets are given assistance to defend themselves. The Directive should protect public watchdogs such as journalists, human rights defenders, NGOs, activists and whistle-blowers that help hold the powerful to account and keep the democratic debate alive. For the full text of the report, click here. More information is also available on the website of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).