"USA: After almost 1,000 days of arbitrary detention, Steven Donziger’s release highlights urgent need for action against SLAPPs", 25 April 2022

In response to the news that the unjust six-month sentence of human rights defender and environmental lawyer Steven Donziger has been completed on 25 April 2022, Daniel Joloy, senior policy advisor at Amnesty International, said:

“We are relieved that Steven Donziger will finally recover his freedom after almost 1,000 days of arbitrary detention, which included 45 days in prison and over 900 days under house arrest. He should have never been detained for even one day, as it has been clear the whole process against him has been in retaliation for his human rights work that exposed corporate wrongdoings”. 

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Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) are legal cases brought, or threatened to be brought, with the intention of silencing or intimidating public participation. SLAPP suits often target journalists, human rights defenders, civil society organizations, activists or academics with the aim of silencing them and deterring other critical voices...