16 Oct 2025 | News and features, SLAPPs
This is a newsletter sent out by the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, which Index co-founded, from the SLAPP target, survivor and coalition member Nina Cresswell. This was due to be read at the Houses of Parliament at the launch event for a new report. Nina explains why she was unable to attend in person
I’m not supposed to be writing this. Last night I was supposed to be in Parliament with Index on Censorship, helping present its new report – From Survivor to Defendant: How the law is being weaponised to silence victims of sexual violence – and sharing my own story of being sued by the man who sexually assaulted me.
The trains were booked. The hotel was sorted. Plans penned in.
But I couldn’t do it.
Last week, my family noticed I wasn’t myself. I was jittery, easily overwhelmed, and having unexplained flare-ups. It wasn’t until they pointed it out that I realised: the closer we approached the Parliament date, the worse my mood and health became. I knew I had to start planning my talk – and to do that, I was slowly and reluctantly prising open the file in my brain marked “The Time You Nearly Died.”
In 2023, after publicly sharing my story at a SLAPPs event, I developed shingles from the stress. I spent weeks alone, feeling as though scalding electricity was running down one side of my face. It left physical scars for life.
So I took almost two years away from public campaigning to heal – to stop reopening my wounds for others to see. But the painful truth is that people need to see the ugly reality to understand why stronger protections are so urgent. They need to see what happens when people with power and money use the law to intimidate survivors into silence.
Now I’m talking about it again. I can reach into that file, but I can’t stay there for long. Each time I tell my story, I catch myself sanding down the rough edges – making it easier to hear, and maybe, for me, easier to bear. More often than not, I’ll throw in a Carry On Courtroom anecdote. I’ll try to make it funny.
Only, it really wasn’t funny. None of it was funny.
Losing almost three years of your life to litigation abuse isn’t funny. Being publicly called a liar for telling the truth isn’t funny. Watching your business collapse so you can act as your own lawyer isn’t funny. Moving house because your abuser found out where you live isn’t funny. Desperately filming pleas for legal funding, mid-trauma, isn’t funny. Having your personal journals read out in a public courtroom isn’t funny. Four hours of cross-examination isn’t funny. Panic attacks in court aren’t funny. Seeing your mother have a panic attack in court isn’t funny. And that night in 2010 – being violently assaulted by the man who would later sue me for naming what he did – that definitely wasn’t funny.
The most shocking part of all this? I’m considered a ‘winner’. I successfully defended the truth and public interest nature of speaking out to protect others. I set a legal precedent for survivors of sexual abuse. But sometimes it doesn’t feel like a victory as most survivors who are sued can’t make it that far. Public judgments are rare because most SLAPP cases settle before trial. For many, silence is the only way to survive.
Across the UK and Ireland, laws against sexual violence remain inconsistent, insufficient, and poorly enforced. When justice fails and harm is buried, it can burn you from the inside – allowing cycles of abuse, shame, and stigma to continue. If we can’t speak about it without facing legal bullying, the violence will never end.
This is what the law is allowing to happen to those failed by the system who dare to speak out.
My story could have happened to anyone. It could happen to you.
If the Government continues to lean on limited anti-SLAPP protections in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, it won’t protect people in the position I was in. Without a universal anti-SLAPP law, what happened to me will happen again. And next time, the target might not make it out alive.
That’s why I keep going. It’s why I’m so grateful to our coalition members – especially Lucy and Verity Nevitt – for this urgently needed report, and for their tireless work to end the use of civil lawsuits by abusers to silence survivors.
16 Oct 2025 | Europe and Central Asia, News and features, United Kingdom
A new report, From Survivor to Defendant: How the law is being weaponised to silence victims of sexual violence by Index on Censorship reveals how survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the UK and Ireland are being silenced through abusive legal actions known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).
Since 2017, the #MeToo movement has encouraged millions of women to share their experiences of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). But speaking out has not come without risks. Some survivors (and the journalists covering their stories) have faced legal threats from the very people accused of perpetrating SGBV. As a result, courts are increasingly being weaponised to continue abuse, with few protections in place.
An anonymous survivor of SGBV said: “So much was taken from me when I was sexually abused, but I still had my voice. It felt like in suing me he was taking that final piece. Being sued for defamation felt like the ultimate form of gaslighting. The impact of these proceedings will follow me for the rest of my life.”
Until now, the majority of policy discussions surrounding the issue of SLAPP have largely been related to journalism, with less focus on cases arising from other public interest issues. From Survivor to Defendant represents an effort to address that awareness gap. It focuses on the four legal systems in the UK and Ireland: Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales, and the Republic of Ireland. The report includes a wide range of recommendations to policy-makers across all four jurisdictions, regulators, law firms and other relevant stakeholders, including a call to establish universal anti-SLAPP protections in legislation to ensure all survivors are protected.
Baroness Helena Kennedy KC said: “I commend this report for shining a light on an issue that has for too long operated in the shadows. It exposes the profound and far-reaching impact that SLAPPs have, not only on survivors themselves, but on society as a whole. The cost of failing to take action against SLAPPs falls not only on those directly targeted, but also on survivors silenced by fear, on the public denied access to vital information, and on our justice systems undermined and discredited when manipulated in this way.”
Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO of Index on Censorship said: “We are really grateful to the women who have spoken to us for this report. Their bravery in confronting what happened to them and fighting for their rights to speak out is truly commendable. We hope that through their words, and our work here, we can finally put an end to the terrible practice of SLAPPs. As the report shows this isn’t a niche issue, but instead one that impacts justice across the spectrum.”
Professor Olga Jurasz, Director of the Centre for Protecting Women Online, The Open University said: “This report is pivotal in revealing how SLAPPs are used to silence survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, compounding their trauma and deterring them from speaking freely about their experiences. It serves as a critical reminder that the law, while a tool for protection and justice, can also be distorted into an instrument of suppression (and oppression) against the very individuals it seeks to safeguard.”sexusexual and gender-based violence
Index on Censorship is a non-profit organisation that campaigns for and defends free expression worldwide, including by publishing work by censored writers and artists and monitoring threats to free speech. We lead global advocacy campaigns to protect artistic, academic, media and digital freedom to strengthen the participatory foundations of modern democratic societies. www.indexoncensorship.org
ENDS
Media contact:
- For more information or press enquiries, please contact: [email protected]
- Index on Censorship is grateful for the funding from Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and the Open University Centre for Protecting Women Online to support the production of this report.
- Index on Censorship is the co-founder and co-chair of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition. Learn more here: https://antislapp.uk/
You can download the report here or read it below:
15 Oct 2025 | Africa, Madagascar, News and features
Gen Z protesters in Madagascar are worried that even though President Andry Rajoelina has now fled the country, a revolution started by the nation’s youth is at risk of being hijacked and that real change will remain elusive.
In an interview with Index, one of the protest leaders, 23-year-old econometrics and statistics student Milatsara Tonie Sedrique, admitted to concerns after the military seized power, despite their promising elections within two years.
“We remain vigilant. We know that every movement can be hijacked if discipline and unity are lost. Our goal is not chaos, but a peaceful and democratic transformation of the country, led by the people, for the people,” said Sedrique.
He said the fact that some soldiers expressed sympathy with protesters, points to the reality that Madagascar citizens were experiencing similar difficulties in a sign that the Gen Z cause transcends generations.
As a former student president of his faculty at university, Sedrique naturally became one of the leading figures of the Gen Z movement, because students trusted him to represent their voices.
Protests erupted in September over frequent power and water outages and started peacefully but at least 22 protesters have now died after government buildings and politicians’ homes were attacked.
Sedrique says he was driven to act from seeing the precarious living conditions on campuses: lack of water, electricity, and material support, amidst the absence of sincere dialogue between authorities and students.
There is widespread discontent in the country and the protests were an expression of despair of young people who feel abandoned, he says.
Sedrique believes Madagascar’s problems run deeper: corruption and poor governance are holding back the country’s development. He says young people want greater transparency and fairness in public decisions.
“Our goal is not confrontation, but concrete solutions. If dialogue fails, the mobilisation will continue peacefully and with determination. It is imperative to turn this crisis into an opportunity by taking swift and concrete measures,” he added.
Another leader of the Gen Z movement, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an army takeover had not been part of the equation when they demanded Rajoelina’s resignation as they wanted democratic governance.
“We will first hold meetings to propose new strategies. Even if Rajoelina doesn’t resign, we don’t need him and his troops,” said the Gen Z campaigner.
Much has changed since 2009 when Rajoelina was first inaugurated, becoming Africa’s youngest leader.
Rajoelina, then an opposition leader, city mayor and popular DJ, assumed power following a military-backed coup that overthrew then President Marc Ravalomanana’s government.
Four years later in 2013, under a plan formulated by the Southern African Development Community regional grouping, both Rajoelina and his predecessor agreed not to stand in that year’s presidential elections. Henry Martial Rakotoarimanana Rajaonarimampianina emerged the winner in those polls.
Yet Rajoelina’s political career was far from over. In 2018 he ran for office and won a second five-year term. He was again elected in 2023, following a controversial poll.
Dr Ketakandriana Rafitoson, a Malagasy political scientist and human rights activist who serves as the global vice-chair of Transparency International (TI) and an individual member of TI Madagascar, told Index that Madagascar is entering one of its most uncertain political moments since the 2009 coup.
She believes that restoring administrative function without addressing structural corruption or accountability, effectively postpones the crisis. A military takeover is the most dangerous scenario and risks extinguishing the country’s democratic aspirations and long-term instability, she said.
The solution? A negotiated transition led by civilian and religious mediators, particularly the council of Christian churches, toward institutional reform and new elections which could preserve national unity and democratic legitimacy.
“The youth movement, led by Gen Z and their allies has made it clear that its struggle is rooted in nonviolence and in the constitutional right to resist illegitimate authority. Their language echoes global youth-led mobilisations from Nepal to Morocco: demands for dignity, justice, and accountable governance rather than power for its own sake,” she added.
Rafitoson said for years, civic space had been shrinking, institutions hollowed out by political patronage, and public frustration was rising.
She noted that when Rajoelina confirmed in a televised address that he had left the country temporarily for “security reasons”, his message combined reassurances such as promises to fix the power grid with new generators with a narrative of personal victimhood, alleging assassination attempts and foreign plots.
” He has not offered to resign, nor acknowledged the legitimacy crisis that has eroded his authority. At the same time, his decision to grant full pardons to several high-profile detainees linked to the so-called ‘Apollo 21’ coup case appeared designed to win allies and buy time rather than to foster reconciliation,” she added.
Rafitoson told Index, “The task ahead for Madagascar’s civil society and international partners is to help channel this moment into a peaceful and constitutional resolution that honours the legitimate demands of the youth. What the country needs is not another rotation of elites but a genuine renewal of governance: one rooted in integrity, justice, and the participation of its citizens,” said Rafitoson.
But as Rajoelina continues to insist that he is still the president, questions remain over how he lost it all.
Dr Freddie Mahazoasy, a Madagascan economist, said the crisis has been cooking for a while as economic and social conditions worsened due to lack of economic vision and strategic planning on the part of the president since 2009.
Mahazoasy said the Malagasy government largely underestimated the seriousness of the economic situation which prevailed in the country after Covid-19, which should have focused all its attention.
“There was no real recovery plan implemented after the devastating pandemic. Freedom of speech was harshly restricted: journalists, Facebookers started to be imprisoned, while political rallies were forbidden and violently repressed,” he said.
He said Rajoelina also made promises that came back to haunt him as economic and social inequalities, perceived as an unacceptable social injustice, became more and more obvious to all.
He said more than 75% of the population are trapped in poverty, which is not sustainable.
Mahazoasy said, “The president made numerous ambitious promises like turning each capital city of the provinces to a place comparable to an American city like Miami, Washington or New York! In 2018, he promised to achieve in five years what has not been done in 60 years. These inflated promises created a tremendous expectation in 30 million minds which later violently blew the regime.”
The winter 2025 issue of Index on Censorship will look in depth at Gen Z protests across the world and explore young people’s concerns about freedom of expression.
13 Oct 2025 | Israel, Middle East and North Africa, News and features, Palestine
Last week, British singer Robbie Williams announced the cancellation of his concert in Istanbul. The decision was made by city authorities who deemed it “unsafe” for him to perform. Williams, who is married to a Turkish-born Jewish woman and raising his children Jewish had in the days before been targeted by Turkish social media accounts and NGOs who called for the event to be scrapped. Also last weekend, hundreds were arrested in London for protesting the banning of Palestine Action, and the same last Tuesday for a man holding up The New World, a magazine which had a montage on its front cover referring to the proscribed group.
The world just marked two years since 7 October. Some commemorated the victims of that day. Others remembered those who have been killed since. Many mourned both. A ceasefire is now agreed and let’s hope it’s lasting. In addition to the devastating destruction and loss of life, as the above examples show, free speech has deteriorated rapidly.
It happened from day one. Journalists and activists were killed in Israel. The war then quickly became the deadliest for media workers since records began. Hundreds of Palestinian journalists have now been killed. International journalists have been barred throughout. This has resulted in huge blind spots, a constant tussle over the narrative and Hamas’ retribution against dissenters circulating only in fragments online.
It’s hard to argue that the Palestinian cause has been silenced overall. This is likely the most talked-about conflict of our time. It has dominated global headlines. Protests are held regularly in town centres. Palestine badges adorn the outfits of many and flags drape from windows. But that doesn’t mean all pro-Palestine speech has been protected. Across the world, campus protests have been shut down. Students have been disappeared in the USA. Writers have lost awards, others their jobs. Just this week, someone told us they were denied entry to the BBC’s Graham Norton Show simply for wearing a watermelon broach.
Too often criticism of Israel has been wrongly equated with antisemitism. That conflation not only damages free speech but obscures real antisemitism, allowing genuine bigotry to slip by, like that of an NHS doctor whose hatred for Jews was barely veiled.
This isn’t just about the silencing of Palestinian solidarity. Israeli voices have been shut down too. Singers and artists have seen shows cancelled for either not saying the right thing or not saying anything at all. Jewish writers have approached me to say they feel pushed out of the publishing world, with calls to boycott them apparently trending on BookTok. Venues in Edinburgh removed two Jewish comedians from the Fringe bill. I know of someone bullied out of their workplace for platforming Israeli voices. As with pro-Palestinian voices, the list of those cancelled is long, two years on.
It’s become a grotesque carnival, voices silenced from every direction. Such toxicity has limited the space for dialogue and squeezed out many in the moderate middle. Now the extremes typically dominate: apologists for Hamas on the one side, defenders of Netanyahu on the other.
It can feel trivial to complain about speech when children are dying. But it’s not. Free speech underpins every human right. Without it injustice multiplies in silence. The retreat from the principle has been a woeful chapter in this horrendous story.
