Article 19, the global campaign for free expression, is concerned about the extent to which civil defamation laws worldwide undermine the right to free expression and result in the persecution of individuals such as Pinto. In a series of online maps published this week, Article 19 tracks the number of civil defamation cases filed in 176 countries around the world, and the amount of damages awarded by courts.Criminal defamation laws remain on the statutes in many countries and, in places like Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey, these laws are actively used to prosecute individuals for writing, broadcasting or publishing information and opinions that may be critical of powerful government or corporate interests.
Our research further reveals that there are often political motives for civil defamation claims. In Singapore, the opposition politician Chee Soon Juan was banned from running for political office and travelling abroad without a permit because he had been declared bankrupt in 2006 and was in contempt of court. His bankruptcy was caused by the enormous damages he had been forced to pay after he lost a defamation case brought by the country's ruling party.
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