The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the publication of the European Commission report on the rule of law situation in the European Union. The EFJ calls on member states to put an end as soon as possible to the multiple violations of press freedom found in the report. “We present the first ever Rule of Law Report today,” said the European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová. “Democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights are the foundations on which everything else is based in the EU: our rights, the freedom of the press or the independence of…

Together with a coalition of 19 organisations, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) urged the European Commission to remain firm and use all the political and legal tools to stop the dismantling of the rule of law, democracy and media freedom by the Hungarian authorities. The signatories of a joint letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, expressed their full support to Vice-President Věra Jourová following attacks by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government. “For…

Turkish journalist Abdullah Bozkurt, who is exiled in Sweden, was attacked near his home in Stockholm by three men on 24 September. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) stand in solidarity with Abdullah Bozkurt and join the Swedish Union of Journalists in calling for a thorough investigation into the attack. Shortly after he left his apartment in a suburb of Stockholm, Bozkurt was attacked by three men who knocked him to the ground and punched him and then left the area. Bozkurt suffered injuries to his face, head, arms and legs and had to be treated in an…

Update (01/10/2020) Two reporters with the French newspaper Le Monde were injured by Azerbaijani artillery in the town of Martuni, part of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, on Thursday morning, Armenia’s foreign ministry said.The two French reporters were taken to hospital. Two Armenian journalists were also hurt in the shelling, according to Armenian authorities. Several journalists were interviewing residents in Martuni and assessing damage from previous bombardments when the shelling started. ————————– Armenia announced on Sunday it was declaring martial law and mobilising its army. It claimed its neighbour Azerbaijan had launched a military operation inside a breakaway region called…

Media Councils release for the first time a comprehensive overview of journalistic self-regulation in Europe. The study highlights the importance of media councils in promoting journalistic standards in a context of proliferation of online disinformation. Independent media councils play an important role with regard to the respect of journalistic ethics. They offer journalists with guidance and tools for their daily work and give the public the opportunity to hold journalists and media to account through a fair complaints procedure. The basic idea behind all media councils is the same: a truly independent media system requires self-regulation, for the simple reason…

“A big TV cannon comes over to me and tells me that if I do not suck his cock, then he will ruin my career. I said no.” It is the 26th of August, TV presenter Sofie Linde is hosting the Zulu Comedy Gala in Copenhagen, and with these words she just started the #MeToo movement in Denmark. The statement came as a bombshell in the country. In response, as a sign of solidarity, 701 female journalists and media workers signed a letter in which they denounced a culture of sexism: “You are right. We experienced it too,” they said…

On Saturday and Sunday in Belarus, 15 journalists were arrested for covering protests against the presidential inauguration, electoral fraud and violence. Most of these journalists have been released, but 15 journalists are still in prison. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) demands their release. On 26 and 27 September, 15 journalists covering mass demonstrations in Belarus were arrested in Minsk, Grodno and Mahilou. Most were released, but four of them, including Russian journalist Anastasia Alshanskaya, 26 years old, remain in prison. They join the list of eleven other journalists who were still in detention. The EFJ joins its Belarusian affiliate,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliates in France and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in condemning the knife attack that left two media workers injured in Paris on Friday near the former offices of the weekly “Charlie Hebdo”. This Friday, late in the morning, a man armed with a knife attacked two people on the pavement, seriously injuring them, before fleeing, leaving the weapon on the spot. He was arrested at around 12.30 pm. An alleged accomplice was also intercepted by the police. The two injured, a man and a woman, are staff members of Premières…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliate the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) call on the Belarusian authorities to immediately release journalist Yahor Martsinovich. On Wednesday 23 September, the editor-in-chief of the weekly Nasha Niva, Yahor Martsinovich, was arrested on suspicion of defamation in a report mentioning the Belarusian Deputy Minister of the Interior, Alyaksandr Barsukou. The journalist’s flat was searched by police. Yahor Martsinovich was held in pre-trial detention for 3 days. The EFJ and BAJ once again call on the Belarusian authorities to decriminalise defamation. “We consider that the criminal proceedings against Yahor Martsinovich are primarily…