The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and partner organisations today mourn the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who died in unclear circumstances while in Russian detention, and whose death was confirmed by Russian and Ukrainian authorities on Thursday. We welcome the opening of an investigation by Ukrainian authorities on the grounds of “war crime combined with premeditated murder” and demand that Russian authorities do the same to elucidate the circumstances of Roshchyna’s death and bring to justice all those who could be responsible. Roshchyna, a freelance journalist with Ukrainska Pravda, a major Ukrainian publication, and several other leading Ukrainian…

Ukraine’s government spokesperson confirmed the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna while being transferred from the southwestern city of Taganrog to Moscow, the capital for a prisoner exchange on 19 September. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliates, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU) in condemning Roshchyna’s death and urge Russian authorities to disclose the circumstances surrounding the tragic event. Russia’s government bears sole responsibility for Roshchyna’s death and for the safety of all journalists in Russian captivity. On 10 October, Ukraine government spokesperson…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Al Jazeera, took part in a two-day mission to Geneva on 8 and 9 October in the margins of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The six organisations involved denounced the massacre of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. They also denounced the ban on international press access to Gaza, which prevents the ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity from being documented there. On 9 October, the Israeli Occupation Forces targeted…

The AI Act came into force on 1 August 2024. The EFJ participated to the plenary dedicated to drafting the Code of Practice on Generative AI for the EU AI Office, alongside nearly 1,000 other organisations and individuals. The plenary will set guidelines for the responsible use of Generative AI within the EU’s AI regulatory framework. EFJ members have also discussed in expert groups the impact of generative AI and have raised concerns on controlling and regulating the use of AI in newsrooms. The EFJ Authors’ Rights Expert Group (AREG) drafted recommendations on the right of identification and personality, fair…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium welcomes the decision to pause the passage of the law criminalizing fake news and to hold an expert committee meeting on media freedom in Cyprus. The discussion comes at a critical juncture, as concerns grow over draft legislation to criminalize offensive content and “fake news”. A freshly published article on media freedom in Cyprus gives an overview of the current situation for journalists on the island. The meeting, set up by the Cypriot Minister of Justice and scheduled for 11 October 2024, follows the discussion of the Cyprus Parliament’s Legal Committee on a…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the SafeJournalists Network and its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in strongly condemning the attacks on the Council of Media Ethics of Albania (KSHM) and the think tank – Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) that has issued a shadow report on media freedom in Albania, as well as on researcher Blerjana Bino. In early October 2024, the Council of Media Ethics of Albania (KSHM) became the target of coordinated smear campaigns by two online platforms, Sot.com.al and Prapaskena.com. These incidents mark a disturbing trend of hostility toward independent…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the Coalition for Media Freedom in condemning this legislative process for its lack of transparency and calls for an extension of the deadline and a restructuring of the law, including the creation of a regulatory framework in the areas of public information and advertising by public authorities and political advertising. A working group on amendments to the Advertising Law was set up without the participation of media associations. As the Coalition for Media Freedom pointed out, the government promised to ensure that cooperation between ministerial working groups and representatives of media associations, the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Belgian affiliate Vlaamse Vereniging van Journalisten (VVJ) in condemning the attack against Belgian journalists Robin Ramaekers and Stijn De Smet in Beirut. They were assaulted, beaten and shot at on Wednesday night after a group of men accused them of working for Israel. The EFJ calls for the assailants to be identified, prosecuted and convicted. Ramaekers was hospitalised for injuries to his face, while De Smet had to be treated for gunshot wounds to the leg. Both are waiting to be evacuated as soon as possible. The two journalists working for the…

To mark the publication of the book entitled “Media pluralism in the digital era: Legal, Economic, Social, and Political Lessons Learnt from Europe”, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) interviewed Iva Nenadic, Research Fellow at the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) at the European University Institute. Co-edited with Elda Brogi and Pier Luigi Parcu, this book draws from over a decade of research through the Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) and provides essential insights into the evolving media landscape across Europe. Could you tell us about your role at the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF)…

Media freedom groups today condemned the legal action taken by the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, against the editor in chief of Aktuality.sk, Peter Bardy, as well Ringier Slovak Media, the publisher of the book, for the use of a photo of Fico on the cover of the book ‘Fico-Obsessed with Power,’ We call on the court to dismiss the case. Fico is claiming 100.000 euros from Bardy, and another 100.000 euros from the publisher as compensation for non-material damage caused by the choice of cover photo. Fico’s lawyers claim that Fico has the right to decide how his…

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, explicitly mentioned the name of Italian freelance journalist Davide Maria De Luca in her Telegram channel alleging that he illegally crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border in Sudzha, in the Kursk region in western Russia. De Luca is the latest media professional to be added to Russia’s list of wanted journalists following his reporting in the Kursk region. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their Italian affiliate, the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI) in condemning the threats issued by FM spokesperson Zakharova against De Luca – a particularly disturbing case as the…

For the Georgian version, click here. The Mission of the Partner Organisations of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium concluded a fact-finding mission to Georgia. The aim of the mission was to collect information on Georgia’s implementation of its freedom of expression and freedom of the media commitments, including in relation to the ongoing election campaign. This statement presents interim findings of the mission. We, international press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists organisations, have just concluded a two day mission to Georgia. Before diving into the concrete findings…

On 25 September 2024, the judicial authorities in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announced the opening of investigations against French journalist Wassim Nasr, over alleged accusations of “complicity and apology for terrorism”. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemn these baseless accusations and denounce attempts to muzzle the journalist investigating sensitive topics.  Wassim Nasr reports on jihadist/extremists movements and security issues for the Paris-based TV channel France 24. On 25 September, the Burkinabe, Malian, and Nigerien prosecutor’s offices issued a statement on their respective national televisions stating that “the combined analysis of Wassim Nasr’s various interventions in the…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) backs concerns expressed over the editorial independence of Italian public broadcaster RAI. The MFRR further insists that the appointment process of the new leadership must guarantee RAI’s political independence and enforce the highest standards of journalism. On 14 September, Rainews24, the news channel of Italy’s public broadcaster RAI, aired an almost four-minute monologue by Deputy PM Matteo Salvini of the Lega Party. In the video, he defends his actions, as former Minister of Interior, ahead of a court case where he is accused of kidnapping and neglect of duty for his decision to stop the docking of the…

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) together with the SafeJournalists Network stand in full solidarity with Tanjug journalists who have received death threats by email over Kosovo and Albania reporting and urge the authorities to conduct an immediate investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice. On 30 September, media workers of the news agency Tanjug were threatened with death via an email sent to the newsroom office. The author of the death threat email, who signed as “Tim Bahrdi”, declared that any Tanjug journalists who entered the Kosovo-Metohija region would be “shot in the back of the head”…