The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, published a letter today addressed to the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan, seeking clarification regarding the criminal proceedings against journalist Afgan Sadigov, editor-in-chief of the news website Azel.tv, who was arrested on 8 June and subsequently remanded in pre-trial detention. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the Commissioner’s letter and calls on the international community, including the Council of Europe and the European Union, to press Azerbaijan to guarantee Sadigov’s safety and freedom of movement. The journalist must be able to leave Azerbaijan and reunite with his family…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned media freedom, freedom of expression, journalists’ and human rights organisations express profound alarm at the recent wave of detentions and arrests of journalists and civil society representatives in Türkiye in the immediate lead-up to the NATO Summit in Ankara on 7-8 July. In the last two weeks, Turkish authorities have launched a coordinated crackdown on critical voices in the country, including independent media. In this period, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) monitoring platform Mapping Media Freedom documented 11 journalists and media workers detained under vague or unjustified pretexts, many with…

Three journalists were detained in a new wave of countrywide police raids in Turkey ahead of the NATO summit, which begins today in the capital city Ankara. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliates, DİSK Basın-İş, Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS), Türkiye Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (TGC), Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (GCD) and İzmir Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (IGC), in calling for the immediate release of the detained journalists. On 5 July, T24 journalist Buse Söğütlü, OdaTV journalist Ceren Erdoğdu and Nihaplus journalist and Bianet contributor Abbas Vural were detained in the second wave of pre-dawn police raids conducted in at least eight cities ahead of the NATO summit in Turkey. They…

On 3 July, the Belgian Competition Authority (Autorité belge de la Concurrence or ABC) conditionally authorised the takeover of the IPM media group – publisher of the daily newspapers “La Libre”, “La Dernière Heure” and “L’Avenir” – by the Rossel media group, publisher of the daily newspapers “Le Soir” and “Sudinfo”, paving the way for the creation of a monopoly on daily newspaper publishing in the French-speaking part of the country. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliate, the Association of Professional Journalists (AJP), in calling on the publisher to inform, consult and negotiate the terms of the…

On 3 July, 2026, a forensic analysis by the Citizen Lab revealed that Stelios Kouloglou, former Member of the European Parliament and investigative journalist, was targeted and infected with Pegasus spyware, developed by NSO Group, on or around 21 October 2022, and again on 6 and 7 March 2023. At the time, Kouloglou was serving as a substitute Member of the Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (PEGA Committee). This revelation is especially alarming because of the specific institutional context in which the targeting occurred. A member of the very committee mandated…

The imprisonment of Yıldız Tar, a journalist who has worked for many years on human rights, LGBTI+ rights and freedom of expression, deepens concerns over the use of criminal investigations and pre-trial detention against journalists because of their professional work, in Turkey. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) are calling on the Turkish authorities to release Yıldız Tar immediately. Journalist Yıldız Tar, editor-in-chief of LGBTQ+ rights publication Kaos GL, was arrested on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” after being detained on 23 June in pre-dawn police raids in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, ahead…

On 6 July, journalists and media workers at the AFP Istanbul bureau will go on strike after management refused to accept their demands for fair wages during collective bargaining negotiations. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) express solidarity with the striking journalists and their affiliate, Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS), and are calling on AFP to meet their demands. The fourth term of collective bargaining negotiations between AFP and TGS began in February 2026. During the negotiations, TGS presented two proposals to management. The first included a 32.4% wage increase, corresponding to the official inflation…

The Portuguese Journalists’ Union (Sindicato dos Jornalistas) today filed a complaint with the European Commission concerning the new statutes of LUSA, Portugal’s state-owned news agency, arguing that they violate European law on the protection of editorial independence. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls on the European Union to act swiftly to assess the case and ensure compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) in the event that a violation is actually found. According to the union, the amendments to the statutes, introduced by the Portuguese government in January 2026, breach several provisions of the European Media Freedom Act…

The Russian artist and cartoonist Semyon Skrepetsky was shot dead in the street in eastern Poland, near the border with Belarus, on 15 June. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins Cartooning for Peace in condemning this brutal killing and calls for a full investigation into what appears to be a political assassination.  Skrepetsky, whose real name was Robert Kuzovkov, was shot dead from a distance in the street, after which the killer stepped closer to him to fire another two shots, indicating a targeted attack. Three days before Skrepetsky had engaged in a protest in Berlin, in which he…

The Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) has just published the Media Pluralism Monitor 2026 (#MPM2026), the most comprehensive EU-wide assessment of risks to media pluralism and press freedom. The report shows that the working conditions of journalists, in terms of salaries and social security schemes, are deteriorating. The situation is particularly worrying in one in three countries in Europe. This year’s findings show how weak business models, big tech, lack of protection against legal intimidation practices, and market concentration are challenging the resilience of media pluralism in Europe, despite the entry into force of the European Media…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is delighted to co-organise, once again this year, the fourth edition of Voices, the European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom. And with it comes the fourth round of the Voices Awards. Voices is granting 25 awards of 1200 euros each* to young journalists and media freedom advocates to participate in the festival’s upcoming edition, which will take place in Thessaloniki on 26-28 November 2026. The Awards have a broad focus across eight categories, recognising outstanding achievements in various journalistic formats: Press Journalism Radio & Podcast Video & Documentary Digital storytelling and Social Media Cartoons…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliate the Journalists’ Union Of Turkey (TGS) joined the MFRR coalition, the International Press Institute (IPI), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other press freedom and human rights organizations in expressing concern over the denial of accreditation to Turkish journalists hoping to cover NATO’s summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 7-8. Dozens of Turkish journalists ‌have been denied accreditation for a NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara next month, media outlets and journalist associations said on Thursday, with NATO saying it relied on Turkey for guidance about journalists. Independent outlets including…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned journalists and media freedom organisations in raising alarm over the coordinated campaign of pressure against Bulgarian investigative journalist Dimitar Stoyanov and call on national authorities to guarantee his safety and respond forcefully to allegations of a potential violent attack in response to his reporting. Stoyanov is an investigative journalist covering crime and corruption at the Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data (BIRD) and has long faced legal and safety threats because of his investigations. BIRD is an independent investigative outlet which is known for cross-border collaboration, including partnerships with OCCRP and…

The 2026 Digital News Report, recently published by the Reuters Institute in collaboration with the University of Oxford, highlights the volatile landscape observed in the past year’s rapidly evolving media ecosystem. News consumption is increasingly characterised by “platformisation,” with social media and video networks becoming the dominant mode of accessing news globally for the first time in history. At the same time, the growing integration of AI into the production and consumption of news poses new challenges for journalists and consumers. These trends carry broad implications for trust in media, policymaking, and public service media and continue to evolve with…

On 15 July 2026, the European Commission will publish its seventh annual Rule of Law Report. This exercise has become a familiar ritual aimed at providing a thorough stock-take of where judicial independence, media freedom, anti-corruption efforts and checks and balances stand across the Union, followed by recommendations that too often disappear into the next reporting cycle without consequence. The undersigned 37 civil society, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), human rights, journalism and media support organisations urgently call on the European Commission to take more direct and verifiable measures to uphold, protect and restore the rule of law…