Bulgaria’s parliament approves law protecting journalists from SLAPP lawsuits

The Bulgarian parliament approved a law on Wednesday aimed at better protecting journalists, activists and others from abusive lawsuits designed to censor or intimidate critics.

In doing so, Bulgaria has gone beyond the European Union’s minimum requirement in an effort to protect the media in a country where press freedom has come under constant pressure.

Known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), the use of legal action is intended to silence or financially ruin journalists, whistleblowers and human rights groups, rather than to win the case outright.

Most SLAPPs are for defamation or reputational damage and tend to be used by those wealthy and powerful enough to afford the necessary legal fees.

While the reform implements a 2024 European directive, which requires member states to protect journalists from abusive cross-border lawsuits within the bloc, Bulgaria has also chosen to extend the protections to purely domestic cases.

In particular, it allows clearly unfounded claims to be dismissed at an early stage, requires courts to decide within short deadlines and tightens the conditions under which defendants can face interim measures, such as asset seizures.

The new rules will also apply to proceedings already under way that have not yet had their first hearing.

Lawyer Alexander Kashumov, who has been involved in various SLAPP cases, called the law “a big step forward”.

According to Kashumov, dozens of such cases, each involving “tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros”, are currently before the courts, with a “chilling effect on freedom of expression”.

In its latest global press freedom ranking, Reporters Without Borders ranked Bulgaria 71st out of 180 countries, saying press freedom in the country is “fragile and unstable”.