Building a Pledge against SLAPPs in Europe

By Maria Cristina Mundin, Programme Director, Environment and Sustainable Development

Photo Credit: PILnet

In March 2026, ILP joined other members of the pro bono community at PILnet’s European Convening in Frankfurt, Germany. The event was an opportunity to engage in a series of in-depth conversations focused on strengthening pro bono efforts across Europe. Through a mix of plenary discussions and thematic sessions, participants examined key trends shaping pro bono work in Europe today.

One of the issues that arose was how the pro bono legal community can take action to prevent the growing use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). This question was tackled during PILnet’s interactive workshop on Building a Pledge against SLAPPs in Europe. Over the years, International Lawyers Project (ILP) has provided pro bono support to fight SLAPPs in numerous cases and we recognise the need to continue this support given the growing misuse of litigation as a weapon against public participation, so I was delighted to be part of this important conversation.

What are SLAPPs?

SLAPPs have emerged as a significant and evolving threat to democratic discourse, press freedom and civic engagement, exploiting the legal system to intimidate and silence critics or journalists. They often involve defamation, privacy or data protection claims intended to stop public interest investigations. These lawsuits are often initiated by powerful individuals, corporations or even state-linked actors against journalists, academics, activists and whistleblowers who engage in matters of public interest, such as corruption, environmental harm or political accountability. Instead of seeking justice, their main aim is to intimidate, harass and financially exhaust opponents through high legal costs. 

Putting the Spotlight on SLAPPs and Pro Bono Support

The PILnet session highlighted recent findings published by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) in its Legal Ethics Report, examining the role that lawyers play in either enabling or preventing SLAPPs. The report includes a set of Recommended Standards for Legal Professional Ethics designed to guide practitioners, regulators and policymakers in addressing SLAPP-related challenges and to reinforce the legal profession’s role in protecting public participation. Discussion also focused on a voluntary pledge that legal practitioners, law firms and bar associations across Europe can sign up to, in order to respond effectively to SLAPPs. This would commit signatories to decline instructions that they reasonably believe are abusive or intended to suppress legitimate public participation; to foster awareness of SLAPP risks within their organisations; and to uphold fair proceedings and support mechanisms for the early dismissal of unfounded claims.

During the session, I drew attention to some of ILP’s work on SLAPPs, including ILP’s support for Charlotte Leslie (former MP and Director of Conservative Middle East Council) in the defamation case filed against her by Mohammed Amersi in 2022. Amersi alleged that Leslie, through a series of letters sent to several influential individuals (including current or former Conservative MPs, the former Tory co-chair, and Bahrain’s ambassador to the UK), were defamatory and had inflicted serious harm on his reputation. After a prolonged legal battle, Leslie emerged victorious. The High Court dismissed the defamation case, concluding that no purpose would be served by giving Amersi further opportunity to replead his claim, and the Court of Appeal refused him permission to appeal. I also discussed the legal assistance ILP provided to ODEE, an Icelandic artist, in which we mobilised defence lawyers to represent ODEE against Icelandic fishing giant Samherji. Samherji had been engaged in a multi-year campaign of intimidation against the whistleblower who used artwork to reveal corruption allegations. We were successful in helping ILP secure a judgment to reduce and postpone financial damages of hundreds of thousands of pounds sought by Samherji. Drawing on these two examples, we discussed how ILP supported the parties, the challenges encountered, and the impact of our support in both cases, highlighting how pro bono advice really helped the parties achieve justice. At the end of the session, a breakout group discussion enabled candid exchanges on the proposed voluntary pledge to prevent and fight SLAPPs and what the legal community can do to respond more effectively.

Commitment to Fighting SLAPPs

The event proved to be a valuable forum for exploring how pro bono legal support can reinforce civil society across Europe at a time of mounting challenges. The workshops, discussions and in-depth session on SLAPPs underscore the importance of pro bono support in this area - fundamental to building a resilient and thriving civic sector.

Key takeaways from the workshop include encouraging legal practitioners to sign on to the voluntary pledge and commit to act in an ethical manner to ensure litigation is not used to silence public participation. Legal practitioners should also be encouraged to understand what SLAPPs really are to prevent abuse of the legal process: awareness is a critical step to fighting them. Challenges such as financial constraints, power imbalances and lengthy legal processes remain, but the lack of legal resources for journalists, defenders and critics is an issue the legal community can surely address.

Inspired by the strong commitment within the pro bono community to support organisations at the forefront of defending democratic institutions and human rights across Europe, ILP strives to continue its work in providing legal assistance and supporting our partners in upholding the rule of law and advocating for economic and environmental justice. Now more than ever, strengthening legal pro bono support is vital to fighting SLAPPs, not just in Europe but also around the world.

International Lawyers Project provides pro bono legal support to more than 100 civil society organisations, journalists and whistleblowers each year. If you need assistance or advice in this area, please contact us at contact@internationallawyersproject.org and we can help.

Other speakers for the workshop included Francesco Zatelli (Managing Director and Co-Founder of Pro Publico), Charlie Holt (European Lead, Global Climate Legal Defense); and Judit Geller (Legal Program Manager, PILnet and moderator of the interactive workshop).