On World Press Freedom Day, the European Greens are highlighting lawsuits used to silence critics as a threat to European democracy. Journalists have faced an especially high degree of violence and harassment in the past year. This ranges from having their equipment seized and/or damaged, intimidation and even physical attacks and arrests by state police forces.

But the hostilities under which they must work don’t end there. Journalists are also met with other types of threats that endanger their lives and that of their families. The Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) is wielded by individuals and companies to keep journalists from speaking out on issues of public concern. The aim of the lawsuit is to intimidate people into silence due to the sheer cost of legal defence and exhaustion over time.

Daphne Caruana Galizia: Unveiling mass corruption in Malta

One of the most egregious examples is the case of Maltese journalist and anti-corruption activist Daphne Caruana Galizia. She started writing in 1988 and ran her own blog from 2008. Galizia was investigating networks of corruption at the highest level of the Maltese society, including PM Joseph Muscat and his ministers. Her journalism took on the institutions of Malta which had failed the Maltese people.

As a result, she was sued relentlessly through libel lawsuits in an effort to keep her silent. Eventually, she was murdered for her investigative work. “Every person in power was compromised beyond belief,” recalls one of her three sons, Matthew Caruana Galizia, “They tried framing her, they tried arresting her, they tried suing her, they couldn’t stop her using any of those means, so they just killed her.” There were 47 libel lawsuits pending against her at the time of her death.

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