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- Ελληνικά
In the context of the first part of the 2024 session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), MEPs Mr. Christiana Erotokritou participated today in a debate in the plenary session of the House on safeguarding press freedom and journalists in Europe and combating the increasing use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
Mr. Loucaides pointed out that safeguarding press freedom and independent and pluralistic media is vital for the proper functioning of democracy, and noted that any form of restriction, control or manipulation is a clear violation of the basic human right to freedom of expression and information. He stressed that Europe is witnessing a steady increase in threats to media freedom, smear and libel campaigns and SLAPPs, which harass and intimidate media representatives with the ultimate aim of silencing and controlling them. Many times, he added, cases related to such lawsuits are not prosecuted, resulting in damage not only to pluralism but also to the rule of law.
Loucaides underlined that positive steps have been promoted at European level to protect media freedom, such as the Council of Europe's Platform for the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists. The affirmation at the level of Heads of State at the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik last May that the Organisation should remain at the forefront in defending freedom of expression is equally encouraging. The Cypriot MEP noted, however, that despite collective efforts to ensure independent and pluralistic media, during the recent attempt to reach a political agreement on the European Media Freedom Act, some states attempted to include a provision to monitor journalists' electronic devices for "national security purposes."
Instead, he said, it is necessary to establish legislative frameworks to ensure the security of the media, in line with Council of Europe standards
Finally, he stressed that it is dystopian to hold a debate on the protection of media freedom, human rights and democracy when more than 75 journalists have been murdered in Gaza and when Julian Assange, one of the world's leading journalists, has been in a British maximum security prison for almost five years without even being convicted for daring to publish the truth.
In her own intervention, Ms Erotokritou noted that the growing and widespread use of SLAPPs across Europe poses a direct threat to journalism, the rule of law and the broader spectrum of free speech. The MEP then pointed out the inadequacy of the existing legal framework, which does not adequately protect individuals and/or organisations targeted by SLAPPs, leaving a wide range of journalists, media representatives, activists and whistleblowers vulnerable and exposed to the dangerous consequences of these legal machinations.
Stressing the urgent need to combat this tool of intimidation and silencing, Ms Erotokritou called on Member States to adopt a comprehensive set of measures against SLAPPs, while strengthening the integrity of defamation and privacy laws, and at the same time, to ensure the proper use of their legal framework, which guarantees and does not undermine the protection of individual rights.
(Text as sent from the House of Representatives)
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