Constitutional Court to Review Amendment on "Material Damage" for Defamation

[wisdom01]

Constitutional Court has accepted a petition to review the recently passed amendment to the Law on Civil Procedure, which reintroduced the possibility of claiming material damages in defamation lawsuits. Media associations and NGOs argue the amendment poses a severe threat to freedom of expression, potentially leading to crippling financial penalties for journalists. "This is a step back to the era of using lawsuits to silence criticism," stated the head of the Journalists' Association.