The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today to call on the Polish government to respect and facilitate the free flow of information by allowing journalists access to the border with Belarus to report on the humanitarian situation. We also urge Polish police and military personnel to refrain from arbitrary detentions and intimidation of media workers working in the area around the restricted zone. Since early September, journalists have been unable to report from inside a three-kilometre-wide stretch of land along the Belarusian border placed under a state of emergency. The measure limits…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today in urging the Greek government to immediately provide clarity over allegations that a state intelligence agency conducted surveillance on journalist Stavros Malichudis and the investigative media organisation Solomon, which focuses on refugees and migration in Greece. The revelationspublished by Greek newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton (EFSYN), which indicated the government’s National Intelligence Service (EYP) had secretly been conducting monitoring of Malichudis, pose serious questions over journalistic source protection and the right to privacy in Greece, which is already facing growing questions over a decline in…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Russian Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU) join PEN International, PEN Moscow and St Petersburg PEN in condemning the Russian authorities’ move to shut down Memorial International Society and its sister organisation Memorial Human Rights Centre, which are amongst the most prominent civil rights organisations in Russia. The EFJ urges the Russian authorities to drop the lawsuits against Memorial, and to end their crackdown on freedom of expression and association. On 11 November, the Russian Supreme Court notified Memorial International Society that prosecutors have filed a lawsuit to liquidate the civil rights…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today express serious concern over a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) targeted against the small independent media outlet Alterthess and its journalist Stavroula Poulimeni by a Greek gold mining executive convicted of serious environmental crimes. Our organisations note that this case again underscores the need for a swift European Union directive and Council of Europe Recommendation to protect journalists and media outlets reporting in the public interest from this kind of abusive litigation. On 19 October 2021, the cooperative journalistic website Alterthess in Thessaloniki…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliate in Croatia, the Croatian Journalists Association (HND) in condemning two more lawsuits by the public media company HRT against its two vice-presidents. The EFJ was informed that on Monday the head of the HRT public broadcaster’s “Business operation” unit, Mislav Stipic, has filed a private slander lawsuit against HND vice-presidents Branko Mijic and Goran Gazdek thus continuing a string of lawsuits against journalists and HND leaders. Stipic has sued over a statement published on 12 March under the title “Bacic’s taking to court leading people of the HND and Croatian Trade Union new attack…

The European Parliament adopted by a large majority a report on the use of SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) against journalists in the European Union at the plenary session on 11 November 2021. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomed an ambitious text which recognises the magnitude of the problem, its detrimental impact on democracy and proposes a comprehensive set of measures to address it. With 444 votes in favour, 48 against, and 75 abstentions, MEPs took a step forward towards better protection of journalists by adopting a report on the increasing use of abusive lawsuits whose aim is…

In September, Poland’s president Andrzej Duda, at the request of the government and with the approval of the Polish parliament, introduced a state of emergency along the country’s border with Belarus, amid a surge in crossings by migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. That included a ban on non-resident civilians, including journalists, from entering the area. The measures, which were initially in place for a month, were later extended until December. As a consequence, the public opinion has been left relying on information provided by the Belarusian dictatorship, which is orchestrating the crisis, and the Polish authorities. The European Federation of…

Kyiv Post, Ukraine’s oldest English-language newspaper and largest independent newspaper, has abruptly been shut down, a decision that was announced on 8 November 2021 on the newspaper’s website. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Ukrainian affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), in expressing solidarity for the terminated employees and denouncing an attack on independent journalism. The decision of owner and real-estate businessman Adnan Kivan to close down the Kyiv Post allegedly follows a disagreement between the editorial staff and the owner about future planned changes. Kivan had plans to expand the Kyiv Post and launch…

After its liquidation by the Supreme Court in August 2021, the Belarusian Association of Journalists‘ (BAJ) website is now blocked for users in Belarus. The Belarusian authorities further labelled the TV channel Belsat, its social media accounts as well as its subscribers as “extremist”. The European and International Federation of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) condemn once again the continued crackdown on its affiliate and critical media outlets in Belarus. As BAJ reported on 4 November, the Ministry of Information of Belarus decided to block the access of Belarusian users to the BAJ website: “BAJ considers the liquidation of the organisation and the…

The Belarusian government has blocked access to Deutsche Welle’s website as well as other foreign news portals. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its German affiliates, the German Journalists Association (DJV) and the German Journalists Union (dju in ver.di), in condemning this censorship and calling for the website to be immediately re-enabled. Since 28 October, Deutsche Welle’s website is blocked in Belarus, the German public state-owned international broadcaster informed. The online offers in all 32 broadcast languages are no longer available. #Belarus sperrt Internetseite der Deutschen Welle – völlig inakzeptabel! https://t.co/V4QRqpuK03 #journalismus #deutschewelle — dju in ver.di (@djuverdi) October 29, 2021 The Ministry…

On 25 and 26 October, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) hosted a two-day webinar session called “Trust in the Media: Photojournalism in the Digital Age”, the last in the series of five as part of the “Trust and Quality in Journalism” project, in partnership with the European Commission. For the day 1 takeaways, click here. Day 2 of the webinar was hosted by Yuklan Wong and Oddrun Midtbø. The four panelists were Markus Pentikäinen, photojournalist from Helsinki, Finland, Sitara Thalia Ambrosio, photographer and visual storyteller based in Germany, Boris Pejovic, photojournalist and board member of TUMM, Montenegro, and Michael Trammer, (photo-)journalist based in Berlin,…

Three journalists from Finland’s largest national daily Helsingin Sanomat were charged on 29 October 2021 with “attempted disclosure of a security secret” and face jail term. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliates in Finland, the Finnish Journalists’ Union (UJF), in expressing solidarity with the journalists and condemning Finland’s deputy prosecutor general’s decision to prosecute them. Laura Halminen, Tuomo Pietiläinen and Kalle Silfverberg face four months to four years in prison for publishing in December 2017 an article about the Finnish Defence Intelligence Agency (VKoeL), at a time when a constitutional change gave the Finnish security services increased surveillance…

On 25 and 26 October, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) hosted a two-day webinar session on “Trust in the Media: Photojournalism in the Digital Age”, the last in a series of five as part of the “Trust and Quality in Journalism” project, in partnership with the European Commission. Day 1 of the webinar was moderated by Yuk Lan Wong with two experts, Lars Boering, director of the European Journalism Center (EJC) and Anna Gordon, freelance photographer in the UK. The session was kicked off by the national partner, Radomir Kračković, Vice-President of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (TUMM).…

On Wednesday 6 October the European Parliament published a report for the European Commission titled Media in the Digital Decade: An Action Plan to Support Recovery and Transformation drafted by rapporteur Dace Melbārde. The report was adopted on Tuesday 19 October by the Parliament. It was voted in the Plenary with no changes as to the version voted in the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT.) The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes this report and the recommendations it put forward. The EFJ insists on the need for the European Commission to ensure that  all Member States quickly put in…

Staff members of the Belarusian political weekly newspaper Novy Chas were searched by the authorities, temporarily detained and interrogated on 19 and 20 October. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined their affiliate, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), in calling on the authorities to stop persecuting journalists and media outlets in the country. On 20 October in the morning, Novy Chas employees could not be reached, before BAJ later reported that journalists’ homes and the editorial offices were being searched. Novy Chas editor-in-chief Aksana Kolb and deputy editor Siarhei Pulsha were interrogated and later released. On 19 October, the house of Novy Chas photographer Dzmitry Dzmitryjeu was searched and all his equipment confiscated. According to Novy…

On 5 October 2021, a new law went into effect in Armenia, raising the maximum threshold for “insults” and “defamation” fines by three times their previous amount. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined their affiliate the Union of Journalists of Armenia (UJA) in denouncing this law and its impact on the right of freedom of expression. The defamation law was adopted by the National Assembly in March 2021 after a Facebook user posted a comment regarded as offensive on a picture of the Prime Minister. The law was validated by the Constitutional…