The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) shared its condemnation of the jail sentence against a Turkish female journalist for writing investigative stories on the “Paradise Papers”,  a set of confidential electronic documents relating to secret offshore investments. “In Turkey the price for doing investigative journalism is not an award but prison. All European Leaders should put pressure on Turkey to drop all the charges against Pelin Ünker”, said Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard, EFJ President. The EFJ reported the case as a media freedom violation to the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists : On 8…

Investigative journalist Alexander Sokolov has been sentenced on Friday (10/08/2017) to three and a half years by a Russian court. Sokolov has been convicted with involvement in a banned extremist group.  The EFJ/IFJ joins its affiliate the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) in condemning the ruling which is being used to silence and intimidate Sokolov and other Russian journalists. “Sokolov’s conviction is a blatant attack by the authorities on transparency and the truth in Russia,” said the EFJ/IFJ. “We demand his immediate release.” Journalist Sokolov maintains his innocence, stating the actual intent behind the prosecution is in retaliation for a…