The European Commission’s anti-SLAPP proposals have been welcomed with great enthusiasm, seen as the crucial first step in combatting abusive litigation, an all-too common tool to silence and intimidate journalists and activists who expose the wrongdoings of powerful people and corporations. 

The UK Government has also taken steps to tackle this toxic cycle of litigation, giving the courts greater powers to throw out claims aimed at silencing journalism in the public interest.

We continue our advocacy to ensure that robust anti-SLAPP measures are swiftly enacted at the national level. For more information about the threats journalists face and why they must be protected, read our joint report as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response coalition.

Coming soon:the first anti-SLAPP conference and powerful testimonies from targeted journalists.

In the latest episode of ARTICLE 19's Boundaries of Expression podcast series, recorded on 21 June, Jo Glanville talks to Ronald Deibert, founder and director of The Citizen Lab, about the technologies that turn your mobile phone into a spy in your pocket. 

On 6 July, Apple announced it was introducing new security to support iPhone users who may be vulnerable to or targeted by spyware. A few days later, a United States defence company dropped its reported plans to purchase the surveillance technology of NSO Group, the company behind the now-famous spyware Pegasus. 

Although these are encouraging developments, Deibert explains how fast-moving innovations now mean people can be completely unaware of violations against their privacy, and argues that international human rights bodies must help stem violations and call governments to account.

The Global Expression Report 2022: As free expression slides and authoritarianism grows, how do we reclaim democracy? 

ARTICLE 19’s Global Expression Report for 2022 reveals a bleak picture: Only 15% of the world’s population – or around 1 in every 7 people – live in countries where they can seek, receive, or share information freely and safely.  

The Global Expression Report (GxR) is an annual look at the right to free expression and information across the world. The GxR metric tracks freedom of expression across 161 countries via 25 indicators to create a score between 0 and 100 for every country. 

For the third year running, there are no open countries in Africa: nearly half of the continent’s population live in restricted environments.

In the Americas, autocracies are digging in their heels. And, as Brazilians prepare to go to the polls, journalists and environmentalists face hostility and attacks from the government of Jair Bolsonaro. 

In the Middle East and North Africa, dictatorships continue to respond to dissent and free expression with brutality, often using national security narratives as a pretext to silence voices and bypass justice.

“Many of the largest declines in expression were localised in Southeast Asia,” writes Samantha Holmes, Asia Advocacy and Communications Officer at ARTICLE 19.  

"A key indicator recorded by the GxR is the transparency of laws and the predictability of their enforcement. Over the last 10 years, ARTICLE 19 has recorded a decline in four Southeast Asian countries for this indicator: Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines. Notably, Myanmar ranks in the global bottom five with laws written and enforced in a completely arbitrary fashion.”

• #FreeToProtest in Kenya: On 7 July, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa highlighted its new campaign calling on the government and the police to respect the right to protest. Launched on Saba Saba Day, an annual reminder of Kenya’s long and proud history of speaking out, the #FreeToProtest campaign calls on the Kenyan government to honour international obligations to uphold and safeguard this vital right.
  
  

• Good news: Progress on the right to information around the world. Target 16.10 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls on all states to adopt legislation or policies guaranteeing the right to information – a key ambition in itself, but it's also vital because it supports the achievement of other SDGs. 

  In 2022, 133 countries comprising 91% of the world’s population, have a right to information law or policy. 
  
  

• Senegal's current law to tackle disinformation is unclear, criminalises the publication of 'false news' and fails to adhere to international standards. ARTICLE 19 has come together with other civil society groups in calling on the Senegalese authorities to repeal Article 255 of the penal code, and guarantee and respect the rights of individuals in the digital space, particularly freedom of expression. 

You can now help to protect freedom of expression by giving to ARTICLE 19!

Working in human rights is a challenging but rewarding career choice. With ARTICLE 19 you will find an international community of activists, legal specialists, and experts working together to protect basic freedoms. 

The powerful testimonies of investigative journalists from Croatia, Serbia, Spain, Poland and the UK. Plus New plans for Artificial Intelligence in Europe