SLAPP lawsuits target award-winning conservationist Andreja Slameršek

A coalition of Slovenia’s leading environmental organisations has organised a rally in support of Andreja Slameršek, President of the Slovenian Fish Research Society (DPRS) and a Blue Heart partner, who is currently facing a series of lawsuits from state-owned energy giants. The NGOs, including Youth for Climate Justice, River Guardians, and the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy, have formally condemned these legal actions as SLAPP lawsuits (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) designed to intimidate and silence environmental advocacy.

The Battle for the Sava
The conflict centres on the Mokrice Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), the final proposed link in a five-plant chain on the Lower Sava. For years, Slameršek and the DPRS have successfully argued that the project would cause irreparable harm to the confluences of the Krka, Sava, and Sotla rivers.

In 2023, the Administrative Court upheld an appeal by the DPRS, recognising major procedural violations and irregularities in the project's environmental studies. However, despite this ruling, the Ministry of Environment recently restarted the permitting process, asserting that electricity production takes precedence over nature conservation.

Intimidation through litigation
Following their court defeat, the energy lobby shifted tactics toward individual litigation:

• HSE Invest (100% state-owned) filed for damages against the Slovenian Fish Research Society after the group exposed data falsification and procedural flaws in the project's reports.
• HESS (Hidroelektrarne na spodnji Savi) initiated a private criminal lawsuit against Slameršek personally, alleging defamation for her public comments on the environmental impact study.

A unified stand 

The legal pressure against Slameršek stands in stark contrast to her professional reputation. A professor of biology and chemistry, Slameršek is a decorated "nature guardian." Her accolades include:

• The Wolfgang Staab Nature Conservation Award (Germany)
• The Rado Smerdu State Award for exceptional service to nature
• Slovenian Woman of the Year nominee

Even the Republic of Slovenia has historically described her as a "pioneer of legal advocacy," yet the state-owned energy lobby is now attempting to disable that very advocacy through the courts.

The supporting NGOs emphasise that these lawsuits represent a dangerous precedent for civil society. "The purpose is not to resolve a dispute, but to exhaust the resources of those defending the public interest," a spokesperson stated at the recent rally in front of the Ministry.

As the Mokrice HPP remains the last barrier to the full industrialisation of the Lower Sava, the coalition vows to continue its legal and public defence of the river and citizens' right to participate in environmental decision-making.