A 20-year-old activist being sued by a two-billion-euro company for highlighting the environmental impact of its activities. Local journalist facing criminal charges for sending an email with inquiries to a press office of a state owned company. The president of an NGO confronting a private indictment for pointing out that the state is benefiting from deforestation. A student accused of defamation after reporting to the university’s anti-discrimination committee that she was molested by a professor. All these cases share at least two things in common. First, they have the characteristics of SLAPPs – Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation – legal actions initiated in response to statements on socially relevant topics, with the primary intent of discouraging the legal opponent from speaking out again. Second, they all happened in Poland … (more)
Dominika Bychawska-Siniarska and Zuzanna Nowicka, Verfassungsblog, 4 September 2024
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