Brazilian senate to prioritise anti-SLAPP legislation inspired by Daphne's Law

During a meeting with Transparency International-Brazil and the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI), Brazil’s Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco committed to prioritising the creation of anti-SLAPP legislation to protect journalists and activists. The meeting, which included Matthew Caruana Galizia on behalf of The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, and other professionals from Europe and Africa advocating for anti-SLAPP measures, took place during ABRAJI’s 19th International Congress of Investigative Journalism in São Paulo last week.

ABRAJI has documented 654 abusive lawsuits against journalists in Brazil from 2008 to 2024, in 84 situations of harassment, identified by the Monitor of Judicial Harassment Against Journalists which the organisation developed. ABRAJI also released a report last April, in partnership with UNESCO and researchers from University of São Paulo, outlining criteria for identifying judicial harassment, a term recognised by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in a recent ruling. For inspiration for a law to counter judicial harassment (SLAPPs), ABRAJI and Transparency International - Brazil, along with other organisations, look to the European Union’s anti-SLAPP Directive known as Daphne Law’s, adopted by the European Parliament in February this year.

Participants in the meeting with the Senate President included ABRAJI president Katia Brembatti, Bruno Brandão and Maria Dominguez of Transparency International - Brazil, and Mery Rodrigues of Transparency International - Mozambique, João Paulo Batalha of Portuguese Civic Front Association, Angolan journalist and activist Sedrick de Carvalho and Matthew Caruana Galizia, director of The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.