Russian authorities blocked access, on Tuesday, to two of the country’s most important independent media: Dozhd TV and Ekho Moskvy radio. In addition, the State Duma is considering a bill on criminal penalty for alleged fake news about Russian army operations. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) strongly condemned these attempts to silence media coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia has blocked Dozhd TV and Ekho Moskvy for allegedly spreading “deliberately false information” about Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Both websites were unavailable in Russia shortly after the announcement. The move comes six days after Russian troops attacked Ukraine. Russia’s…

Today, 01 March 2022, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo signed a decree to shelter 20 journalists from Ukraine, in coordination with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). The decision is in line with Kosovo’s position of solidarity with the right of Ukraine to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and in the spirit of protecting universal human rights. The EFJ and ECPMF hope that other states will follow Kosovo’s example. The decree, which will see the allocation of €150,000 from State reserves, was initiated by Member of Parliament…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, on Sunday, that Kremlin-backed RT, formerly known as Russia Today, and Sputnik, would be banned in the EU. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) fears the effects of this spiral of censorship on freedom of expression in Europe. “We will ban the Kremlin’s media machine in the EU. The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, and their subsidiaries, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war,” said Ursula von der Leyen. “We are developing tools to ban their toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe,” she added, without providing more…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other members of the Council of Europe’s Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists today published a joint statement calling for the protection of journalists covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and for the provision of urgent and practical assistance to reporters on the ground. Read the full statement below. The undersigned journalists’ and civil society organisations, which are partner organisations of the Council of Europe’s Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, utterly condemn the threats to the lives and safety…