Coalition Against SLAPP in Europe (CASE) presented the annual report on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP). Report for 2024. year reveals a troubling trend – the number of SLAPP lawsuits continues to rise.

This year’s report details 166 SLAPP cases filed in 2023. , with an additional 63 cases identified from earlier years. Overall, CASE recorded 1,049 SLAPP cases in the period from 2010. until 2023 year, which clearly indicates the need for more decisive protection of freedom of speech and public action throughout Europe.

In the past year, significant progress appeared to have been made in the international fight against SLAPP lawsuits: the European Union adopted the Anti-SLAPP Directive, while the Council of Europe adopted a Recommendation on combating this abuse of the legal system. However, despite these steps, the practice of using strategic lawsuits as a means to stifle the work of journalists and activists continues to be noted.

The main findings of this year’s report are:

  1. Frequency of SLAPPs by country:

During 2023. , a significant number of SLAPP lawsuits were recorded in Italy (26), Romania (15), Serbia (10) and Turkey (10). The number of SLAPPs in Italy remains high, despite the increased attention in this report to exclude cases of state censorship.

  1. SLAPP targets:

Cumulative data shows that journalists, as individuals, continue to be the most common target of SLAPP lawsuits, followed by media outlets, editors, activists and non-governmental organizations. Other potential defendants include lawyers, academics, politicians, book authors and publishers.

  1. Who files lawsuits?:

During 2023. in 2008, the largest number of lawsuits were filed by business entities and entrepreneurs (45.2%), followed by politicians (35.5%).

Other important findings of this year’s report:

  • 36.1% of cases in 2023. year it related to issues of corruption, and 16.3% to environmental issues.
  • SLAPP lawsuits were first reported in countries such as Monaco, Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Denmark, bringing CASE’s identification of SLAPPs in a total of 41 countries across Europe.
  • 9.4% of cases in the period 2010–2023. had a cross-border character. most cases were targeted against individuals, not organizations.
  • In the period from 2010. by the end of 2023. , the most common SLAPP filers are persons in positions of power, especially business entities and politicians.
  • SLAPP cases in 2023. 2010 included a wide range of topics, from health to sexual abuse.
  • Corruption, business activities, government activities and environmental protection remain the topics that were most often the subject of SLAPPs in the period 2010–2023.
  • Litigation costs continue to involve enormous claims, including claims of up to £7 million.
  • Defenders continue to face threats of prison sentences, despite the United Nations Human Rights Council and other human rights organizations continually stressing that prison is never an appropriate sentence for the crime of defamation.
  • SLAPP lawsuits continue to pose a serious threat to basic democratic principles, freedom of expression, and the public interest. CASE Report 2024. strongly appeals to policy makers, civil society organizations and media institutions to take concrete steps towards the implementation and strengthening of anti-SLAPP measures across Europe.

This report was prepared by the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation on behalf of the Coalition Against SLAPP in Europe (CASE) and was published in November 2024. year.

Third edition.