EFJ mourns two killed journalists in Europe in 2019

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has recorded 49 killings of journalists and media professionals in 2019, including two in Europe, a significant drop from 95 posted last year. The IFJ says that, while the apparent decreasing bloodbath in the journalists’ community is a welcome relief, the spread of killings and the motives behind the killings are sobering reminders that violence against journalists is still rampant and the failure to combat impunity for these attacks remain a damning indictment on those in power. The IFJ lists 18 countries from the four corners of the world where journalist were killed since…

There can be no press freedom where journalists work in fear, end impunity!

Impunity is when threats, attacks and crimes against journalists go unpunished. It results in a high level of fear, intimidation, censorship and self-censorship that undermines press freedom, the public right to know and leaves victims and their relatives powerless. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the International Federation of Journalists’ (IFJ) campaign to #endimpunity, which aims at holding governments and de facto governments accountable for their impunity records and denouncing any crimes targeting journalists that remain unpunished. Murder is the highest form of these crimes but all attacks targeting journalists that remain unpunished must be denounced. In Europe, the EFJ…

Ukraine: IFJ and EFJ demand answers on Pavel Sheremet killing anniversary

The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) have backed demands for the Ukrainian authorities to publish the results of their investigation into the killing of award-winning journalist Pavel Sheremet – a year after his murder in a car bomb on 20th July 2016. On the anniversary of the killing the IFJ/EFJ joined their affiliates the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU) in condemning the grossly inadequate investigation by Ukrainian authorities. The EFJ/IFJ also call on Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to fulfill his promise of incorporating an independent international…

Ukraine: Impunity should end

Following two cases of impunity and careless investigation in Ukraine, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) renews its calls for an end to impunity for crimes against journalists and action to protect the safety of media professionals in the country. The first case involves a TV crew of local TV station attacked in front of police officers – who didn’t intervene – on 10 June 2016 in Berdyansk Zaporizhia region. Journalists went to cover the illegal seizure of a hotel building, when the unidentified men in a military uniform beaten up reporter Volodymyr Holovatiy, took away the camera and seized…

Debate on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

Join us for a debate on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) to discuss how this matters to all of us also here in Brussels and in Europe. When: Thursday 27 October 2016, 12h30 – 14h30 Location: Press Club Brussels Europe (PCBE), Rue Froissart 95, 1000 Brussels Over 800 journalists were killed in the past 10 years in the world. In nearly all these cases their killers have never been brought to justice. To put an end to this, a 2013 resolution of the UN General Assembly on Safety of Journalists proclaimed November 2nd each year the International Day…

International conference: Safety of Journalists in Ukraine. Ending impunity

Organisers: Presidential Administration of Ukraine Council on protection of journalistic activity and freedom of speech (under the President of Ukraine) Parliamentary Committee on freedom of speech and information policy Ministry of Information Policy CSO “Institute of Mass Information” Council of Europe Project “Strengthening freedom of the media and establishing a public broadcasting system in Ukraine” Background and rationale Safety of journalists is a very important issue for Ukraine, especially after the appalling murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet in Kyiv in July. Generally there was a splash of violence against journalists in Ukraine in 2016 which was recorded by Ukrainian and…

Justice for Anna Politkovskaya

On 7 October 2006 Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a reporter for the Novaya Gazeta, newspaper and a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was shot dead at her apartment building in central Moscow. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their affiliate the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) in commemorating the death of the veteran journalist and calling on the Russian government to renew its efforts to identify those who ordered the journalists’ murder.  The journalist and human rights activist’s body was found by a neighbour in the elevator, where she had been shot 4 times. The murder of…

16 journalists and media staff killed in Europe in 2015

2015 has been another deadly year for journalists, with at least 109 journalists and media staff killed in targeted killings, bomb attacks and cross-fire incidents, according to the annual report published today by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The IFJ 2015 list names the 109 journalists and media staff killed across 30 countries, together with 3 who died of accidental deaths. It marks a small drop from last year when 118 killings and 17 accidents were recorded. In Europe, 16 journalists and media staff were killed in 2015: 11 in France, 2 in Ukraine, 1 in Azerbaijan, 1 in…

The #EndImpunity campaign is going on: please don’t forget to contribute!

Today only one out of 10 killings in the media is investigated. Get involved in the IFJ #endimpunity campaign 2015, from 2 to 23 November 2015. Many thanks to contributors! #EndImpunity Remember the UN End of Impunity Day today @coe @Europarl_da @IFJGlobal https://t.co/BRjagQBYtw #journosafety #PressFreedom — Mogens B. Bjerregård (@mogensbb) November 2, 2015 IFJ launches 2015 global campaign to end impunity for crimes against journalists https://t.co/5PagHlA2ni pic.twitter.com/1ElMaSfN50 — Anthony Bellanger (@abellanger49) October 21, 2015 More than 700 journalists have been killed in the last 10 years. #EndImpunity https://t.co/tyLFaw1G0r pic.twitter.com/HuX8xrf5xq — UNESCO (@UNESCO) November 2, 2015 President @PutinRF_Eng, on @UN Day…

Join us in Brussels today to say no to impunity #endimpunity

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has joined the IFJ #endimpunity campaign. We call on the European journalists and the EFJ partners to participate in the ceremony organised by the IFJ today, from 16:00 to 16:30, at the Residence Palace’s patio, in Brussels, in partnership with the Association Générale des Journalistes Professionnels de Belgique (AGJPB) and the United Nations. 2 November 2015 will mark the second commemoration of the killing in Kidal, Mali, of Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, RFI reporters. To date, the criminal investigation launched by French and Malian authorities has yet to identify the killers and bring them to…

EFJ sends letter to Montenegrin authorities about impunity and lack of respect for journalists

The EFJ in cooperation with its affiliate  the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (TUMM), sent letters to the President, the Prime Minister and other high officials of Montenegro to express its concerns about the increased lack of respect for journalists’ and media workers’ right by the employers on decent salaries, fair remuneration for freelances, trade union rights and the rights to collective bargaining in Montenegro and the region. The EFJ draws particular attention to the case of journalist Tufik Softic who because of his investigative reporting, was brutally beaten eight years ago. Two years ago, a bomb was thrown…

UNS demands investigation into missing and murdered journalists in Kosovo

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo, Metohija (DNKiM) and the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS, member of the European Federation of Journalists) support the work of the United Nations’ Human Rights Advisory Panel in Pristina and request from UNMIK, EULEX and the Pristina institutions to comply with the recommendations of the Panel, conduct investigations of the murdered and missing persons, take the perpetrators to justice and fairly compensate families of the victims. DNKiM and UNS would like to draw attention that omissions in the police and judicial work of UNMIK and drastic violations of the European Convention on Human Rights…

#EFJAM: “to portray the truth with our pen”

Our job is neither to please nor to harm anyone; our job is to portray the truth with our pen … What Albert Londres, a French journalist and one of the founding father of investigative journalism, said has captured the spirit of the Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Journalist which will be held  at the House of Journalist in Moscow this Friday 21 and Saturday 22 of November. While the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) held its last World Congress in Istanbul, the EFJ will hold its Annual Meeting in the capital of Russia. The goal is to…