Democracy is at risk. We can’t let oligarchs exploit British courts to silence their critics

‘The risk is not losing the case – which is often unlikely – but the sheer cost of the vexatious process.’ The Royal Courts of Justice, London. Photograph: James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock

Free speech is the fundamental basis upon which democratic life is built. Many of our other precious freedoms stem from it. In the UK, we naturally take it very seriously. But it is now under threat, from oligarchs and crooks who are abusing our world-renowned legal system in order to silence their critics.

There is an epidemic of so-called lawfare cases in the UK. The world’s super-rich are hitting journalists, writers, whistleblowers and anyone else who scrutinises them with Slapps – strategic lawsuits against public participation. These are defamation accusations, often with a spurious basis (if they have any basis at all), brought with the intention of terrifying those who question them.