Legislation proposed to stop ‘lawfare’ targeting journalists and whistleblowers
Summary
Two new bills have been introduced in the UK Parliament to protect whistleblowers, journalists, and victims of sexual assault from lawsuits meant to silence them. These laws aim to stop so-called "SLAPPs" — legal cases that use expensive court battles to intimidate people speaking on matters of public interest.Key Facts
- SLAPP stands for "strategic lawsuits against public participation" and are used to silence critics with costly legal actions.
- Conservative members introduced two private members’ bills within 24 hours to address this issue.
- The bills have shown signs of support from Labour ministers and are expected to gain cross-party backing.
- One bill allows judges to dismiss weak cases early to prevent high legal costs for defendants.
- Courts could order claimants who delay or unfairly prolong cases to pay penalties.
- SLAPP lawsuits have been used by wealthy individuals and companies to stop investigative journalism and reports on unethical behavior.
- Current UK laws partially protect those speaking about economic crimes but not other human rights issues.
- Several countries, including US states and EU members, have introduced anti-SLAPP laws, but the EU directive excludes criminal cases and has been slow to be adopted fully.
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