PATFox project will share lessons on how to fight back against SLAPPs at RightsCon 2023

Blueprint for Free Speech will be attending leading digital rights conference RightsCon this week, which is being held online via a dedicated platform, as well as in-person in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The conference brings togther technolgy experts, civil society and rights organisations, along with government representatives to tackle pressing human rights issues in the digital sphere.

This year, Blueprint is leading a roundtable on our EC-funded anti-SLAPP project PATFox (Pioneering Anti-SLAPP Training for Freedom of Expression). Suelette Dreyfus from Blueprint will lead a discussion including PATFox partners and trainers from Croatia, Germany, Poland and Slovakia.

At its mid-way point, PATFox has already trained over 180 lawyers across 11 EU member states in anti-SLAPP techniques, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and network they need to defend their clients - journalists, activists and other human rights defenders - against abusive litigation. A second round of training events is ongoing and will run through the next nine months.

Those attending RightsCon can access the roundtable via the conference online platform on Wednesday 7 June at 10.30am London time (11.30am Brussels).

Building a resilient legal force across 11 countries to defend freedom of expression

SLAPP suits (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) have recognised as one of the most serious risks to freedom of expression in Europe, threatening journalists, human rights defenders and others into silence with the threat of costly, aggressive and protracted legal action. PATFox (Pioneering Anti-SLAPP Training for Freedom of Expression) is an EC-funded project that is developing Europe's first anti-SLAPP curriculum and rolling out training in 11 countries, organised by local NGOs and academic institutions.

Though all members of the European Union, the 11 PATFox countries face some very different issues - from intimidation of climate activists in Germany, to mass lawsuits against the media in Croatia and a difficult political situation in Hungary. Defending against SLAPPs requires solid knowledge of international human rights principles together with detailed know-how on domestic legal systems and procedure. Draft legislation to combat cross-border SLAPPs will be working its way through the EU institutions through 2023.

In this session, we will share insights from putting together this complex training programme and our first round of workshops for qualified lawyers, with a particular focus on Croatia, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia. One of the key goals of our project is to provide materials and document practices that are replicable in other jurisdictions. While our experiences will be particularly relevant for those in the EU and the wider Council of Europe area, we are keen to hear from others with experience of legal intimidation or training as we move into the second phase of our project.

As we move on to the next phase of the project and look to documentation and long-term impact, we are keen to hear from those with direct experience of SLAPPs and countermeasures in their countries (including beyond Europe), as well of those who coordinate, or participate in, specialist legal networks.