The document below is a report on the research conducted by the Centre for Democracy and Law Miko Tripalo (CMT) on the topic of SLAPP lawsuits against the media (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, in Croatian – strateške tužbe protiv javne participacije).
The report was created as part of the Fighting SLAPP in Croatia project, carried out by the Miko Tripalo Centre and the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND). The project was implemented with the financial support of the British organization Justice for Journalists Foundation (https://jfj.fund/) and in cooperation with the international organization Coalition against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) (https://www.the-case.eu/).
The importance of researching SLAPP lawsuits is based on the fact that such lawsuits are often used as a tool for intimidating and preventing individuals and/or organizations from reporting and informing the public about matters of legitimate public interest. Protecting individuals and/or organizations from SLAPPs is, therefore, a protection of the right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by national, constitutional, as well as international legal regulations.
The aim of this research was to collect data and analyze court rulings in civil and criminal proceedings conducted in the Republic of Croatia against publishers, editors, and journalists (collectively referred to as the media) due to publicly published texts and reports. The study identifies SLAPP indicators and analyzes the most important characteristics of potential SLAPP cases.
You can download the full report below:
