Protect democracy now: stop abusive lawsuits!
SLAPP suits are intended to silence critics (© Umweltinstitut München e.V.)
The EU has adopted an anti-SLAPP directive that effectively protects environmentalists and journalists from abusive lawsuits. The goal of the petition, which was supported by EU Commissioner Věra Jourová, has been achieved!
The destruction of Papua’s rainforests is an issue that has even reached the Hamburg Regional Court – and put Rainforest Rescue in the dock, for allegedly defaming the company cutting down the forest! All over the EU, the rich and powerful are suing their critics to shut them up. We need EU protection against these SLAPP suits.
News and updates Call to actionTo: Vice-President of the European Commission Jourová and EU Commissioner Reynders
“Protect democracy now: stop abusive lawsuits!”
Kenertec, an Indonesian company that claims to be part of the Korindo Group, took Rainforest Rescue to court. Korindo is a conglomerate of companies that are destroying rainforests for palm oil and timber, especially in the Indonesian province of Papua.
Rainforest Rescue spoke out against the deforestation and documented it with photos, videos and statements from locals.
Nevertheless, Kenertec sued Rainforest Rescue before the regional court in Hamburg, Germany in an effort to get us to revoke our criticism and remain silent in the future. We see this lawsuit is nothing more than an effort to intimidate and silence environmentalists.
This is a textbook example of a strategic lawsuit against public participation or SLAPP. Companies and powerful individuals are increasingly launching abusive legal actions in European courts against journalists, activists, NGOs, rights defenders, whistleblowers and other public watchdogs who speak up in the public interest.
Prominent examples include the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who had 47 SLAPP cases pending against her in Malta at the time she was murdered by a car bomb. Umweltinstitut München, a German environmental watchdog, was sued unsuccessfully for criticizing pesticide use use in apple orchards in northern Italy.
But like many others, Rainforest Rescue will not be silenced! In February 2023, the plaintiff dropped all claims in a settlement proposed by the court and agreed to pay three-quarters of the litigation costs.
The case nevertheless hindered our work – mounting a defense sapped resources that we could have devoted to our mission instead. The suit could also have had a chilling effect on activists in Indonesia if they had felt that even judges in Germany are on Korindo’s side.
An alliance of journalists, environmentalists, human rights defenders and other organizations have launched a joint petition calling on the European Commission to take action to stop SLAPPs. Please sign it and do your part to protect freedom of speech.
BackgroundSeveral organizations have produced extensive studies on Korindo:
Mighty Earth: Burning Paradise, Sept. 2016
Forensic Architecture: Intentional Fires in Papua, Nov. 12, 2020
Greenpeace: Burning down the house, Nov. 4, 2019
Rainforest Action Network (RAN): Perilous: Korindo, land grabbing and banks, 11/2018
RAN: Korindo exposed, Nov. 11, 2018
FSC Report, Aug. 2020
Mighty Earth: Conclusions of FSC complaint…, Nov. 5, 2019
Papers, articles and studies on SLAPPs:
We don't want to be sued into silence, November 16, 2020, a position paper by 87 NGOs, including Rainforest Rescue
Ending Gag Lawsuits in Europe, June 9, 2020, a position paper by 119 NGOs, including Rainforest Rescue
Open letter to the European Commission concerning the threat of vexatious litigation against journalists ... May 19, 2020, by 26 NGOs, mainly from the media
European Centre for Press & Media Freedom: Legal Advice, May 20, 2020
SLAPP: The background of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, undated
EPP Group: MEPs continue to pile on pressure for anti-SLAPP legislation, Feb. 22, 2018
Greenpeace: SLAPPs - How the rich and powerful use legal tactics to shut critics up, July 22, 2020
Greenpeace study: Sued into silence, July 2020
To: Vice-President of the European Commission Jourová and EU Commissioner Reynders
Dear Vice-President Jourová, Dear Commissioner Reynders,
We call on the European Commission to urgently put forward a proposal for EU rules that protect journalists, activists, NGOs, rights defenders, whistleblowers and other public watchdogs who speak up in the public interest from abusive legal actions launched by powerful individuals and companies.
We need this protection to hold the powerful to account.
EU rules to stop strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are within reach. An EU anti-SLAPP law would provide for a strong and uniform level of protection against SLAPPs in all EU member states and serve as a model for countries in wider Europe and beyond.
Let the EU be a champion of democracy. Take action to stop SLAPPs.
Yours faithfully,
EU puts a stop to abusive SLAPP lawsuits
The EU is finally getting a directive to combat strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs. Environmental activists and journalists in Europe will now have better protection against such lawsuits. The new directive will make it harder for corporations and powerful individuals to silence critics with abusive lawsuits.
European Parliament votes to curb abusive SLAPP lawsuits
Progress has been made to protect activists against abusive lawsuits by companies and powerful individuals: 444 members of the European Parliament voted in favor of Europe-wide regulations to curb so-called SLAPP suits. It is now up to the European Commission to take action.
Palm oil company Korindo stripped of FSC label
The Indonesian palm oil and timber company Korindo is losing its FSC seal. According to the FSC, the reason for the expulsion is that Korindo cleared forests for oil palm plantations and contributed to the degradation and potential destruction of high conservation value forests. Korindo is also accused of violating the participation rights of local people.
documented it with photos, videos and statements from locals
Several organizations have produced extensive studies on Korindo's activities. You can find links to these in the background section of this petition.
SLAPPFor further information on SLAPP suits, please see the background section of this petition.
journalists, activists, NGOs, rights defenders, whistleblowers and other public watchdogs
Many environmentalists, activists and communities in rainforest countries face existential threats from abuse of the law or from lawlessness. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, three men were murdered, presumably by security forces in the context of a conflict over palm oil plantations belonging to the company PHC.
The number of participants shown corresponds to the signatures collected together with our alliance partners Umweltinstitut München e.V., The CASE and SumOfUs.
Recent successes