Northern Cyprus: heavy criminal charges against the president of the journalists’ union

Update (28.02.2022) – The trial was postponed to a later date yet to be announced. Ali Kişmir, the President of the Cyprus Turkish Journalists’ Union, Basin-Sen, faces a 10-year prison sentence for an article published a year and a half ago. The European and International Federation of Journalists (EFJ and IFJ) demand the lifting of criminal charges against him. Turkish Cypriot columnist Ali Kişmir could face up to 10 years in prison for “insulting and mocking the security forces” in an opinion piece he wrote over a year ago. Kişmir, a columnist for the newspaper Özgür Gazete Kıbrıs, is expected…

Monitoring Report: Increasing Pressures on Media Freedom in Europe in 2021

Today the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in launching our annual report documenting our organisations’ systematic monitoring of media freedom violations across Europe in 2021. Between January and December 2021, a total of 626 alerts were documented on the Mapping Media Freedom platform across EU Member States, candidate countries and the United Kingdom – ranging from physical attacks to SLAPP lawsuits and online harassment. A total of 1,063 individuals or media entities in 30 countries were subject to one or more press freedom violations, including the murder of three journalists – underscoring the…

Turkey: Journalist Güngör Arslan killed in an ambush, suspect arrested

On 19 February 2022, Güngör Arslan, owner, editor-in-chief, and columnist of the daily Ses Kocaeli, was killed in a gun attack in front of his newspaper’s editorial office. The European and the International Federations of Journalists (EFJ and IFJ) and its Turkish affiliates condemn this brutal killing and call for justice. Güngör Arslan was shot by an assailant in the chest and in the right leg outside his office in the city of Izmit. He was rushed to a hospital where he died of gunshot wounds. Kokaeli region governor, Seddar Yavuz, said the authorities had arrested a suspect in connection…

Suisse Secrets: Swiss banking secrecy hinders media freedom

Journalists and whistleblowers risk criminal prosecution in Switzerland if they reveal confidential bank data. At a time when a new massive tax evasion scandal, #SuisseSecrets, is shaking the Swiss banking system, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is demanding the lifting of banking secrecy and in particular of the criminal provisions which, since 2015, have prevented the Swiss press from contributing to the revelation of these scandals. Since 2015, Swiss journalists risk a conviction if they write about stolen bank data. This is why the Swiss media had to give up investigating Credit Suisse clients, as part of the #SuisseSecrets scandal.…

Final conference “How can gender equality and diversity promote trust in the media?”

On 14 and 15 March 2022, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is holding the final conference to wrap up the two-year project “Trust and Quality in journalism”: How can gender equality and diversity promote trust in the media? The two-day conference will focus on diversity and gender equality in the media while summarising key conclusions from the previous webinars. The final conference will be organised in partnership with the Andalusian Journalists Union (SPA) and the Federation of Journalists Unions (FeSP) and funded by the European Commission. Registration You can join the conference online via this link. Speakers For more…

Ukraine: RFE/RL journalist Vladislav Yesypenko sentenced to six years in prison on fabricated charges

A Russian court in the Crimean Simferopol district sentenced Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty journalist Vladislav Yesypenko to six years in prison, on 16 February 2022. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined its affiliate, the Ukrainian National Union of Journalists (NUJU), in denouncing a parody of justice and call again for the immediate journalist’s release.  The Simferopol District Court found Vladislav Yesypenko guilty of fabricated charges, namely being in possession and transport of explosives, after a closed-door trial. Yesypenko is sentenced to six years in a maximum-security penal colony and fined…

Journalists organisations launch projects to address challenges during pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has a great impact on journalists and journalists’ organisations across Europe. The working conditions of journalists has been greatly affected. The pandemic has underlined the importance of journalists’ unions and associations in supporting journalists in this challenging time. More than ever, stronger unions are essential to protect the rights of journalists and their working conditions. Together with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has launched its funding scheme, co-funded by the European Commission, to support its members to continue and develop their core union activities to support the work of journalists.…

Croatian journalist convicted of damaging judge’s reputation

On 2 February, the Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) has voiced dismay after the Rijeka Municipal Court sentenced Novi list journalist Dražen Ciglenečki to a fine of 30 days’ income for statements made on former Zagreb County Court President and now High Criminal Court Judge Ivan Turudić in one of his columns. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Croatian affiliate in condemning the continuous pressure on journalists and media freedom in the country through the use of criminal and civil laws. The case dates back to 2014 when the journalist Dražen Ciglenečki published in the daily Novi list a…

Malta: Media battle for access to public information

Press freedom groups raise concern over unprecedented FOI obstructions The undersigned international media freedom organisations today express growing concern over the challenges that media outlets in Malta face in accessing public information through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. The unprecedented appeals by some 30 government ministries and entities against a decision by the Information and Data Protection Commissioner which ordered the disclosure of information on public expenditure requested by The Shift News are emblematic of these challenges. The appeals stem from FOI requests that The Shift’s editor sent to various public bodies which sought documents about possible contracts and…