An inter-professional seminar was conducted with journalists and lawyers from North Macedonia to exchange ideas and increase the knowledge on “Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), comparative experiences and practice to recognize and prevent”.
Organised by the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) under the joint European Union and Council of Europe action on ‘Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in North Macedonia‘, the seminar is a unique initiative to put journalist and lawyers on the same table to discuss the current situation and the future actions on lawsuits against public participation which aim to intimitade and financially drain the sued journalists or media. When initiated by politicians and holders of public offices, such lawsuits can cause fear and self - censorship of journalists, thus affecting the citizens' right to be informed.
Two international Council of Europe experts in SLAPPs presented during the seminar on several important aspects: why SLAPPs became serious threat to journalism, what are the available analysis, recommendations, and legislation on the topic, how to recognize a SLAPP, how should media react to SLAPPs and when to ask for support, as well as what is the role of lawyers and judges in cases when dealing with SLAPPs, as well as practical and existing examples of SLAPPs. The experts’ presentations encouraged fruitful discussions and excellent exchange of experience, increasing the knowledge of the participants on European standards for SLAPPs.
This strategic partnership with the civil society, through the Horizontal Facility II Grant Agreement with the Association of Journalists of Macedonia, helps to jointly target topics and aims of joint interest by addressing the current problems and needs. Thus, this inter-professional seminar supports the ongoing efforts of the Council of Europe following the establishment of a working group that will work on the preparation and adoption of Recommendation on SLAPPs.
This inter-professional seminar was organized under the action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in North Macedonia, and the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.
