from William Horsley, AEJ Special Representative for Media Freedom, London, 31/03/2
Last year, many organisations signed a statement calling on the Council of Europe (CoE) to issue a recommendation on combatting SLAPPs, drafted by the CoE Subgroup of the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE).
Since then the AEJ has joined the Coalition called C.A.S.E. and our logo will be shown on their publicity from now on. The call has been heard. The CoE has recognised this as a policy priority for Member States, and initiatives are underway in the CoE’s two statutory bodies, the Committee of Ministers (CM) and the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE).
The CM has decided to establish a Committee of Experts on SLAPPs and task it with drafting a policy Recommendation on SLAPPs by the end of 2023. A motion has also been tabled in the PACE Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, that could eventually lead to the adoption of a resolution on SLAPPs by the plenary Assembly.
A joint statement welcomed these developments, highlighting key elements which should be included. We all want and need robust standards against this widespread abuse – with the EU spotlighting London as the epicentre of the SLAPP industry.
SUGGESTION – why not a 2022 SLAPP Contest?
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