Case Study - SLAPP in Slovenia

Slovenia has experienced acute problems with SLAPP suits in recent years - one recent quantitative study of SLAPP litigation found that, among EU member states, Slovenia had the second-highest rate of SLAPP suits per capita.

This case study, produced by attorney Jasna Zakonjšek for PATFox Slovenian partner organisation Institute Open, includes a detailed procedural history of a key Slovanian SLAPP case - Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) v. Rudolf Rizman.

Rizman is an academic of international standing who had made several public statements critical of Slovenia’s SDS in 2020, shortly before the party entered the government in coalition. He then faced a defamation action brought by the political party itself.

The resolution of this case took two years. While the history of the case provides a positive reflection on the independence of a Slovenian judiciary that is familiar with Strasbourg case law, it also exposes the absence of domestic legal mechanisms for the early dismissal of abusive litigation.