Beneficiaries and partners’ advocacy activities at national level
Beneficiaries and partners in the project are also advocating for the implementation of pending free speech judgments at national level through various activities. Notably, several visibility and training events have taken place at national level with the support of EIN, exercising pressure on respondent States to adopt effective general measures required to resolve freedom of expression problems identified by ECtHR judgments. Here is an overview of the activities that took place since the beginning of the project in late 2023.
Croatia
Database of lawsuits currently pending against journalists and media outlets in Croatia, according to the latest survey conducted by the Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA)
Advocacy activities for combatting SLAPP lawsuits as part of the National Coordination Committee for the Implementation of Measures of the Action Plan for the Development of Culture and Media
Conference on SLAPPs and their detrimental impact on media freedom and democratic discourse, organised by our beneficiaries Human Rights House Zagreb (HRHZ) and Croatian Journalists Association (CJA), in cooperation with the Center for Democracy and Law Miko Tripalo on 30 September 2024
Public event on the limits to freedom of expression and the protection against SLAPPs, organised by our beneficiaries Human Rights House Zagreb (HRHZ) and Croatian Journalists Association (CJA) on 16 April 2024
Written contribution to the European Commission 2024 Rule of Law report, submitted by our beneficiary Human Rights House Zagreb together alongside other Croatian civil society organisations
Hungary
Survey, launched by the Hungarian Association of Judges (MABIE), among Hungarian judges on freedom of expression. The results of the survey proves the presence of a chilling effect on the freedom of expression of judges, a central aspect of the Baka v. Hungary case
Italy
Roundtable on pressing concerns regarding freedom of expression in Italy, organised our beneficiairies Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights (CILD) and StraLi for Strategic Litigation (StraLi) on 8 May 2024
Lithuania
Press release concerning the republication of the Macate's "Amber heart" book and the related victory at the ECtHR and the ruling of the Lithuanian Constitutional Court, published by our beneficiary the Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) on 17 January 2025
Petition advocating for substantive amendments to the legal framework, specifically in response to concerns raised by the Macate case, coordinated and disseminated by our beneficiary Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI)
Bilateral meetings to build support for further legislative reforms, organised by our beneficiary Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) with newly elected members of the Seimas on 26 and 29 November, and on 4 December 2024 and advocacy efforts covered by several national media (here, here and here)
Poland
High-level debate on the future of criminal defamation reform in Poland, organised by our beneficiary the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), with leading Polish daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna on 25 March 2025
Renewed appeal for the abolition of criminal liability for defamation to protect against SLAPPs, jointly issued by our beneficiary the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), with publishers’ and journalists’ associations on 29 January 2025
Advocacy activities for the implementation of the Kurłowicz v. Poland case in the context of the meetings of the Standing Subcommittee on the Execution by Poland of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union of the Sejm on 5 December 2024 and 4 March 2025
Advocacy activity for the implementation of the Rabczewska v. Poland case in the context of a session of the Sejm’s Committee on Petitions, addressing the potential decriminalisation of the offence of offending religious feelings under Article 196 of the Criminal Code, organised on 24 September 2024
Statement concerning the reform of the public service media, published by our beneficiary the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR) on 22 December 2023
Romania
Investigative report ‘Becoming the Story: How Journalists Are Being Targeted by Romanian Law Enforcement’, produced by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) on 17 March 2025
Article ‘Anti-SLAPP draft law. Will critic voices in society be protected?’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 28 February 2025
Public debate on combating Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) through national legislation, organised by our beneficiairies APADOR-CH and Freedom House on 20 February 2025
Advocacy activities, for the implementation of the Ghiulfer Pedrescu v. Romania case, towards the Ministry of Justice and the Superior Council of Magistracy proposing to amend the Civil Code to cap moral damages awarded against journalists in defamation cases
Article ‘How could SLAPPs be stopped?’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 25 July 2024
Article ‘Freedom of expression in Romania again in watchful eyes of the Council of Europe’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 11 July 2024
Article ‘Romanian journalists can still be harassed in court’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 5 June 2024
Article ‘Romania considers that it has fulfilled its obligations in the case of László Tőkés’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 3 May 2024
Article ‘Anti-SLAPP Directive for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 20 March 2024
Article ‘ECtHR condemns Romania in a new case of violation of freedom of expression’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 21 February 2024
Article ‘Referral to the ECHR filed by László Tőkés’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 29 January 2024
Other ECtHR implementation-related issues in Romania covered by journalists in the context of this project:
Article ‘What do we do with the Constitutional Court? APADOR-CH Proposals’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 5 June 2025
Article ‘Venice Commission on the annulment of the elections in Romania’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 19 March 2025
Article ‘Romania, lagging behind on the implementation of ECtHR judgments’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 24 September 2025
Article ‘ECtHR condemns Romania in Holocaust-related crimes case’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 24 April 2024
Article ‘Poland, like Romania, condemned at the ECtHR’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 12 December 2023
Article ‘ECtHR awards compensation to two Romanian associations’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 29 November 2023
Article ‘ECtHR rejects Romania's appeal in the Buhuceanu case’, published by our beneficiary Balkan Investigative Rreporting Network’s Sinopsis initiative on 27 September 2023
Slovakia
Webinar addressed the situation of journalists in Slovakia and the legal risks they face, including criminal proceedings and SLAPP lawsuits, organised by our beneficiary FORUM for Human Rights on 20 November 2024
Spain
Online seminar on key challenges and developments at the intersection of freedom of expression, rising extremist political options and growing use of SLAPPs, organised by our beneficiary Gentium on 30 May 2025
Participation in a working group focused on the reform of the Spanish Treaty Law, which has implication for the ECtHR implementation process
Advocacy activities for the implementation of Fragoso Dacosta v. Spain and Stern Taulats and Roura Capellera v. Spain, within the framework of the ongoing Criminal Code reform, specifically adressing freedom of expression
Report (yet to be published) on the use of Pegasus by Spanish intelligence from an international law perspective, including a reference to the main relevant ECtHR judgements on Article 10, written by our beneficiary Gentium
Meeting with representatives of the Spanish Ombudsman to explore the institution’s knowledge, experience, and potential interest in engaging more actively in the implementation of ECtHR judgments, including on freedom of expression cases, organised by our beneficiary Gentium on 16 April 2024
Online seminar on the execution of ECtHR judgments within the formal Spanish Human Rights Lawyers Network setup and awareness-raising for the implementation of the Stern Taulats and Roura Capellera v. Spain case, jointly organised by Gentium and EIN in March 2024
Türkiye
New monitoring report on Turkey’s Radio and Television Broadcasting Authority by our partner Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA)