The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has expressed extreme concerns over recent ”witch hunt” and attacks on journalists who cover the refugees and migrants crisis. Since last Friday 30 October, two journalists were attacked during the anti-migrants protest called “Pegida demonstrations” launched by the German far-right groups in Berlin. Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, the EFJ President said, “the witch hunt on journalists covering the crisis is worrying. Journalists shall not become the target for telling the truth.” Helmut Schümann, a journalist working for the daily Tagesspiegel in Berlin was one of the journalists who were attacked. According to Schümann, he was tracked down by far-right…

The European Federations of Journalists (EFJ) and its members from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey (in picture) spoke out against media violations in their countries and call for more actions in a conference held on 4 November in Brussels by the European Commission (DG NEAR) to highlight the media freedom situation and progress made in Western Balkans and Turkey. A high-level meeting, the “Speak Up conference on Freedom of Expression and Media in the Western Balkans and Turkey” was kicked off by the European Commissioner in charge of European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, Mr Johannes Hahn. Unfortunately, hardly any progress is echoed by…