Case Study - SLAPP in Cyprus

Cyprus is experiencing a variety of challenges to freedom of expression for both journalists and human rights defenders. Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) form part of a complex picture, which is exacerbated by the difficulty of obtaining comprehensive information in a relatively small country, where awareness of SLAPPs as an issue is low.

In order to give a broad impression of the current situation in Cyprus, this report includes a selection of cases where it was publicly reported and/or alleged that individuals or organisations were facing intimidation for exercising their rights of expression, regardless of whether such conduct has been formally classified as a SLAPP.

Media Freedom Rapid Response associates ten reports with Cyprus, between 1 March 2020 and 31 December 2022, of which one report is categorised as a SLAPP - the Ali Kismir case, which is discussed this report.

This report also highlights the case of an investigative journalist who felt he had to leave Cyprus in order to continue his work 6. For those investigative journalists who are still working in the country, it is not unlikely that legal threats are received with greater frequency than has previously been reported.

To the best of our knowledge, there is no systematic reporting of SLAPP or SLAPP-like threats where academics, lawyers, public servants, human rights defenders been silenced. There is, in short, a significant an information gap regarding SLAPP-like threats against public watchdogs. As a result, we have visibility into these cases only when they have received significant attention from national or international bodies, which may be more likely to be the case when there appears to be a pattern of events over time. As such, the final case – or rather group of cases – we have included in this document is that of the non-governmental organisation KISA