Advocacy – SLAPPs, legal harassment and legal intimidation
For justice beyond
borders
Our take on SLAPPs
SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are a form of legal harassment used by companies, institutions or public figures against public watchdogs and human rights defenders.
These procedures are not initiated to achieve a legal victory, but to silence the voices of the journalists, NGOs and citizens they target. The pressure that builds up as a result of a SLAPP’s length and cost tends to intimidate the target, impede the diffusion of information of public interest and expose journalistic sources.
SLAPP filers often use defamation – a criminal offense contained in the Law on the Freedom of the Press of 1881 – as the legal basis of their complaint. To bypass existing legal protections, they may also file complaints under criminal or commercial law in relation to trade or military secrecy, commercial disparagement, and the dissemination of false or misleading information.
Following the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia – who was targeted by more than 40 SLAPPs at the time of her death – a directive was adopted by the European Union. It is primordial that French lawmakers seize this opportunity to limit the growing use of SLAPPs, restore the equality of arms as a legal standard, and sanction practices that threaten freedom of speech and information.
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Why Advocate ?
Today, public debates and decisions on the regulation of economic players are often dominated by the economic interests themselves. Our advocacy endeavours, carried out in collaboration with other civil society players, aims to ensure that the voices of citizens, communities and those affected are heard.
Sherpa exposes the human rights and environmental violations observed on the ground by our partners and demonstrates that the law is often ill-adapted to the problems caused by globalisation. Drawing on its expertise, Sherpa calls into question legal frameworks that allow, or even encourage, impunity for economic actors.
Sherpa develops recommendations for a better understanding of economic realities and proposes an innovative legislative arsenal. Our actions are aimed at changing the law to create a legal framework that better protects the environment, communities, and workers.
