Lawsuits

A recent report by the European Commission about the rule of law in Greece "misleads readers" by "glossing over critical issues," 14 human rights and media freedom organizations said on Thursday.

Richard Tornetta, who drummed for the thrash band Dawn of Correction circa 2005 to 2009, filed the lawsuit against Musk as part of a shareholder derivative lawsuit

Hrvoje Zovko, president of the Croatian Journalists' Association. HND. Photo: SNH

Nenad Milanovic, chief of cabinet of Belgrade mayor Aleksandar Sapic, filed a defamation lawsuit against BIRN Serbia before the Higher Court in Belgrade, seeking 200.000 dinars (1,705 euros) in damages for mental anguish.

An investigation is underway

Between 2010 and 2020 in Serbia, at least 26 civil lawsuits were brought against journalists, media outlets, civil society organisations and activists as a result of their efforts to monitor rights violations, says a report published on Wednesday by international human rights group Article 19, the ABA Centre for Human Rights, and the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia, NUNS.

The Kelkos hydropower plant on the Lumbardhi river in Kosovo. Photo: BIRN.

Rights watchdog Amnesty International on Monday called on Kelkos Energy, a company that operates hydropower plants in a protected area in western Kosovo, to withdraw two lawsuits against two activists who have spoken out against the environmental impact of the projects, Shpresa Loshaj and Adriatik Gacaferi.

No injuries have been reported

Albanian journalists and cameramen reporting about the COVID-19 pandemic in Tirana, on March 30, 2020. Photo: LSA

The report, "Attacks on media in Europe Must Not Become the New Normal", states that about 140 alerts were filed with the platform during 2019, including 103 from Turkey, 21 from Serbia and 11 from Albania.

The call came from members of the European Parliament on Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, the organization said.

Such lawsuits, known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), can harass and intimidate journalists into silence by requiring them to make repeated court appearances and pay exorbitant legal fees, a statement said.