A draft law has been submitted to the government's agenda that defines individuals acting in the public interest and how they should be protected, writes Diena.
The annotation to the draft law notes that in recent years, strategic lawsuits have become an increasingly common phenomenon in the European Union. Influential individuals and companies use them as a tool to pressure journalists, human rights defenders, environmental activists, researchers, and others who express critical opinions in the public interest, thereby intimidating, exhausting, and financially and psychologically draining them. Typically, such lawsuits are not filed to obtain legal protection but to create a chilling effect not only for the specific defendant in the case but also for other critically minded individuals who, out of fear of such legal proceedings, cease to speak out on issues of public interest. Most often, lawsuits in strategic litigation are filed regarding violations of honor and dignity, breaches of data rights, and intellectual property infringements.
The annotation to the draft law provides various examples from international practice, but precedents in Latvia are not mentioned. In 2024, a directive was adopted aimed at removing obstacles to the proper consideration of civil cases, ensuring the protection of individuals and legal entities acting in the public interest, including journalists, publishers, media organizations, whistleblowers, human rights defenders, public organizations, trade unions, researchers, and representatives of academia, from lawsuits initiated against them to hinder their activities in the public interest.
Latvia has not yet had provisions that fully comply with the requirements of this directive.
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