Situation
Emerging in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ILP received a request for libel and defamation training from a coalition of more than 75 civil society organisations spanning Europe, Asia and Africa. United by a common purpose to block access to the economic and financial resources enabling Russian aggression, these organisations joined efforts to advocate for the sustained business exit of multinational companies from Russia.
In influencing companies to responsibly exit from the Russian market, the coalition utilises online and social media platforms to call businesses and governments to action and hold companies accountable by mapping, documenting, and publishing corporate ties to the Russian regime.
ILP’s Action
ILP provided legal assistance to the coalition through capacity training in libel/defamation principles and standards. The virtual training held for members of the coalition covered best practices in publication to ensure that contributors to the website and other online platforms are well-informed of the considerations, risks, and necessary measures that can mitigate libel and defamation-related risks and/or liabilities.
Impact
The members of the coalition are now better equipped to publish content on accountability for corruption and other related areas responsibly on their online platforms. Being well-informed of the international best practices in publishing content further affords the members better protection against Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) suits that may be initiated against them by individuals and entities attempting to dissuade them from exposing corrupt practices.