The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) express concern over the limited time and space available to openly debate various amendments of the Penal Code proposed by the Ministry of Justice of Serbia. While well intentioned, the amendments are problematic from a freedom of expression perspective. Our civil society organisations call for a broader and open consultation that comprehensively integrates the implications of the amendments on the exercise of human rights in Serbia.  We recognise that journalists in Serbia face numerous threats to their physical safety and are often the target of harassment…

Belarusian authorities arrested and searched the houses of several independent journalists across the country for simply doing their job on 1 December. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their Belarussian affiliate, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), in solidarity with the journalists affected and condemn the government’s systematic harassment of independent journalists. The Belarusian police arrested at least four journalists in three different locations across the country on charges of “funding anti-government protests”. The officers also confiscated some of their equipment. According to BAJ, journalists Valeryia Lepeshava and Siarhei Niarouny were detained by the Belarusian police in the eastern…