The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition welcomes Wayne David MP’s Anti-SLAPP Bill

06 Dec 23 | News and features, United Kingdom

Today, Wayne David MP will present the Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation Bill, his Private Members’ Bill, to the Houses of Parliament. This is a crucial milestone for the UK to stamp out all SLAPPs targeting public interest reporting. Irrespective of the identity of the public watchdog or the issues they are covering, a standalone bill is necessary to ensure that abusive legal threats and actions cannot continue to stifle free speech.

With a general election expected next year the introduction of this standalone Bill is the start of an important process. If the Bill is bold and expansive enough to protect all forms of free expression, protect British courts against abuse and disincentivise further SLAPPs, the impact it can have cannot be overstated.

The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, of which Index on Censorship is a co-founder and co-chair, will monitor and engage with the process to ensure the protections are as robust, clear and accessible as possible. The threats to people such as Carole Cadwalladr, Catherine Belton, Tom Burgis, Nina Cresswell, openDemocracy and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), as well as the countless others who have been subject to legal intimidation demonstrates the urgent need for action to ensure free speech remains free.

If the details of the Bill are fleshed out in line with our Model Anti-SLAPP Law, this could be a hugely significant step to address the gaps in the recently passed Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCT) that established important, although limited, anti-SLAPP protections for those reporting on economic crime. While the Coalition welcomed the recent formation of the UK Government-led taskforce on non-legislative measures to tackle SLAPPs, we have always believed anti-SLAPP legislation to be an indispensable part of any initiative to tackle SLAPPs. The Bill announced today brings us closer to this goal.

Wayne David, MP for Caerphilly said: “It is vital that in a healthy democracy there is protection for everyone who speaks out in the public interest. Whether it is victims of sexual violence, journalists, whistleblowers or academics, there must be freedom for those who speak out. This Bill would ensure that there is that freedom in law. I look forward to working with members of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition and others to ensure that this Bill reaches the statute book.”

The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition co-chairs said: “We welcome the announcement of Wayne’s Private Members’ Bill today. While the devil will be in the detail, this is a significant step towards ensuring British courts cannot be abused to shut down public interest speech. As always, we will assess the Bill with reference to the standards we have established in our Model Anti-SLAPP Law. We call on all Parliamentarians, irrespective of party, to continue the already fruitful cross-party collaboration on this issue to ensure we can stamp out SLAPPs without delay.”

Notes:

  • The Long and Short Title for the Private Members’ Bill can be found here: https://commonsbusiness.parliament.uk/Document/83383/Pdf?subType=Standard#p age=20
  • The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition: https://antislapp.uk/
  • The Model Anti-SLAPP Law can be viewed here: https://antislapp.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Model-UK-Anti-SLAPP-Law-Final-Ve rsion.docx.pdf
  • The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition response to the passage of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act: https://antislapp.uk/2023/10/26/a-landmark-moment-but-we-cant-stop-here/

The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition: The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition is an informal working group established in January 2021. It comprises freedom of expression, whistleblowing, anti-corruption and transparency organisations, as well as media lawyers, researchers and academics who are researching, monitoring and highlighting cases of legal intimidation and SLAPPs, as well as seeking to develop remedies for mitigation and redress.

The coalition has worked to make the case for structural and meaningful responses to SLAPPs. The coalition, which meets monthly, brings together expertise from a range of different fields to engage with policy-makers, regulators, media outlets and other organisations to ensure that the right to free expression and the ability for all to participate in society around them is not restricted by vexatious legal threats deployed by the wealthy and powerful seeking to shutdown scrutiny and democratic accountability.

Moments of Freedom 2023

04 Dec 23 | Afghanistan, Burma, China, Egypt, Iran, Poland, Russia, Rwanda

Moments of Freedom was Index on Censorship’s 2023 year-end campaign where we asked our readers and supporters to vote on the moments during the past twelve months that have given them hope that the world is not as bad as it sometimes feels.

Index’s staff and board looked back over the year and highlighted their moments where freedom of expression has been strengthened or celebrated. This could have been through the introduction of new legislation supporting free expression, the release of a prisoner of conscience or the escape of a dissident from tyranny to a safe third country.

Egyptian blogger Abdelrahman "Moka" Tarek reaches safety

Launch of the Begum Academy

First anniversary of women's protests in Iran

Rwanda declared "not a safe country"

Alexei Navalny's reaction to latest charges - Russia

Badiucao exhibition in Warsaw

Silent strike protests in Myanmar

Release of Mortaza Behboudi and Matiullah Wesa

Afghan TV present Spozhmai Maani finds refuge in France

Moments of Freedom in a bleak year

01 Dec 23 | News and features, Opinion, Ruth's blog

The news is bleak, the weather is cold and 2024 is only a month away. As many of us look for some peace and hope as we look to the New Year there is an onus on all of us to celebrate those recent moments of light in the darkness. 

At Index on Censorship our mission is to give a voice to the persecuted and champion freedom of expression. 

But with all the attacks on free speech which have happened in 2023, it would be easy to think that the darkness of tyranny is taking hold and that we are, metaphorically speaking, heading into a winter. 

But as we prepare to wave goodbye to 2023 and endure the dark of winter, it's important that we remember the moments of light which permeate the shadows. 

That is why, this year, Index is doing something a little different to mark the passing of another year. 

To mark the end of 2022 we ran the ‘Tyrant of the Year’ competition and crowned Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico as the winner after an extensive public vote. But it is easy to fall into the habit of focussing on the bad - obsessing with the tyrants and the demagogues who threaten our liberties. 

But in focussing on the villains, we risk neglecting the heroes of our stories. Those crusading defenders who, often at great person risk, stand on the front line 

That’s why this year Index’s end of year campaign will place the ‘Moments of Freedom’ on a pedestal. Those shafts of light that break through the night. 

Starting on Monday, Index’s staff, trustees and patrons will look back over the year and highlight 12 moments where freedom of expression has been strengthened or celebrated. Over the next two weeks, we will share videos explaining each of these Moments of Freedom on our social media platforms. 

To vote, you will simply need to sign up to our weekly newsletter. Not only does that mean you’ll get to share the joy of our campaign but  you’ll be kept up-to-date with all our work on freedom of expression. The 2023 Moment of Freedom will be announced in the Index newsletter on Friday 12 January 2024.

I’ve already decided my nomination for the 2023 Moment of Freedom. 

It’s the tale of Abdelrahmen Tarek, known as Moka, escaping persecution and reaching a safe haven. The former Egyptian political prisoner, who won our 2022 campaign award is now out of prison and has successfully fled to a safe country. lived in Beirut. His release, and subsequent series of essays for Megaphone highlighting the political and human rights situation in Egypt demonstrate that those who campaign for freedom of expression can retain their voices when we all stand together for them.

Let’s not forget the Moments of Freedom as we turn the corner into 2024. Keep an eye on our socials next week for all the details.