Case Study - SLAPP in Hungary

This case study document, authored by independent human rights lawyer Bea Bodrogi for the Budapest Center for Independent Journalism, surveys the scope of SLAPPs in Hungary by examining each of the legal mechanisms that have been misused for this purpose.

The document includes sections on criminal charges that can be misused for the purposes of SLAPP suits (criminal defamation and scaremongering), civil proceedings, the petty offence procedure - largely used against demonstrators - and GDPR (the General Data Protection Regulation).

The use of GDPR, which has emerged as a tool for prior restraint as well as harassment of journalists in Hungary, is examined in some detail. Throughout, each section is illustrated with relevant examples.