The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) demands the EU Council of Ministers to immediately retract all plans that may weaken secure encryption in digital communication. Journalists rely on encryption to protect sources. The Council of the European Union proposed a draft resolution last week calling for national authorities across the EU to have access to encrypted messages as part of criminal investigations into terrorism and organized crime.  “We understand that we need technical advanced tools in the fight against organised crime and terrorism. But it cannot be that journalists’ sources and thereby media freedom are the price”, said EFJ President Mogens Blicher…

At least, 43 journalists were prevented from carrying out their work by protesters and police officers at the “Querdenken” demonstration in the eastern German city of Leipzig on Saturday, 7 November. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) strongly condemn the violence and call again on the German police to do its utmost to protect journalists covering demonstrations. The demonstration was attended by around 20,000 protesters according to German media – including people criticising the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as people from far-right parties including extremist National Democratic…

Turkish journalist Ahmet Altan is 70 years old. He has spent the last four years in a cell in Turkey, apart from one parenthesis – a mockery of 8 days of freedom in November 2019 – when a criminal court ordered his release. 1500 days, today, behind bars without having committed any offence, and amid reports of increased Covid-19 risk in the prison facility where he is held. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its partners, including Articolo 21 and P24, demand his immediate release. Throughout his trial, Ahmet Altan faced absurd, unfounded and ever-changing charges relating to “attempting a…

Several journalists were targeted by protestors during a violent protest organised on 5 November by the cyber activist group Anonymous Slovenia, in Ljubljana. Interior Minister Aleš Hojs partly blamed the media for the outburst of violence. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliate in Slovenia (DNS) in condemning in the strongest terms this new verbal attack and the protestors’ violence against journalists reporting on the ground. According to Slovenian media, demonstrators were coronavirus-deniers, conspiracy theory groups and anti-government protesters. There were several hundreds of people. The Interior Minister Hojs claimed that the media had been “supporting” the protests…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) finally held its first ever digital Annual Meeting on 3 November 2020. The decision to organise it online was taken after the EFJ was forced – due to the Covid-19 pandemic – to cancel its event, which should have taken place last May in Zagreb, Croatia. The 2020 online edition was attended by over 70 affiliates from 43 countries. Over 70 participants from 43 countries are ready to discuss @EFJEUROPE activity and financial report and some urgent matters in #COVID19 times! #efjam2020 #mediafreedom #journalismmatters #SocialRights #solidarity pic.twitter.com/fAE9sH7fnG — EFJ (@EFJEUROPE) November 3, 2020 Not…

Speech by Mogens Blicher Bjerregård (EFJ President)  Before – and now during the pandemic, the EFJ worked consistently on the issues that our affiliates required from us, incorporating our vision and ambitions on behalf of all our affiliates and your members, and if I may add: for all journalists and media in Europe for the benefit of our societies and democracies. In the Activity Report, you will find more details and an idea of the scope of our work during the last year and a half. We should have held this annual meeting in spring in beautiful Zagreb (Croatia), but we…

The Croatian journalists’ trade union and professional associations (TUCJ and CJA) announced last week that a new wave of vexatious lawsuits (SLAPP) is hitting Croatian media and journalists. The dozen of SLAPPs targets Telegram news portal, Virovitica.net, Index and journalist Dora Kršul. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliates in Croatia in denouncing an attempt to intimidate and silence investigative journalism. The lawsuits are initiated by former top politicians – former Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić and former Member of Parliament Branimir Glavaš – as well as University of Zagreb Rector Damir Boras. Nine lawsuits filed by former Agriculture…

The online Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), attended today by 53 delegates from journalists’ unions and associations from 38 European countries, expressed its full support for Belarusian journalists in the face of repression. In Belarus, during and after the 9 August presidential elections, the media, journalists and bloggers were the target of increased repression. As a result, the situation went from serious to catastrophic. While the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) recorded 23 violations of journalists’ rights from the beginning of the year until 8 May, i.e. before the election campaign was launched, it registered about…

Monday 2 November is the UN International Day for the end of impunity for crimes against journalists. #EndImpunity. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the IFJ Campaign: End Impunity 2020, to demand governments put an end to impunity and to highlight and denounce crimes targeting journalists that remain unpunished while the masterminds walk free. This year, the IFJ is putting a specific emphasis on five countries, including Russia in Europe. Since 2005, 17 journalists have been killed in Russia. Six murders remain unsolved: Anna Politkovskaya: the most prominent case of impunity is the killing of Anna Politkovskaya from Novaya…

The German Association of Journalists (DJV) has called on the Federal Ministry of Economics to link the agreed press funding to certain conditions in order to countervail media concentration and preference of large media groups. In July, the German parliament decided to provide publishers with a funding of €220 million over several years, most probably starting in 2021. This support is primarily aimed at the digital transformation of the publishing industry. However, previously agreed support specifically for the delivery of daily newspapers will not be made available. This is in the context where publishers complain that the delivery of printed press…

22 editors-in-chief of leading Slovenian media said on 28 October in an open letter intended “to the public” that they will stand against political interference as they face increasing pressure from the government. With this letter, the journalists denounced their difficulty to do their job in these challenging times caused by the pandemic and reaffirmed their commitment to the public. They describe a toxic working environment where weekly pressure from the authorities “place an additional burden and make quality journalistic work more difficult”. “Neither this crisis nor anything else may be used as a pretence for attempts to impose harmful…

It appears to be a global trend that the Covid-19 outbreak has aggravated previously existing problems in the journalism industry and added another layer that concerns health measures for journalists. Kosovo is no exception as shown by a report called “The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the economic situation of journalists, cameramen and photojournalists” published on 27 October by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK). This research focuses on the consequences of Covid-19 on the economic situation for media workers, the difficulties in reporting and the lack of necessary protection equipment. The study was carried out during the period…

On 28 October, together with fellow partner organisations of the Council of Europe Platform, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) signed a statement of urgent concern regarding the risks to physical safety and undue restrictions faced by journalists covering the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. The statement reads as follows: We undersigned partner organisations of the Council of Europe Platform for the promotion of journalism and the safety of journalists express our urgent and deep concern about the ongoing risks of injury and harm to media workers reporting on the armed conflict inside Nagorno Karabakh. We are also concerned that arbitrary…

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, freelance journalists across Europe have been greatly impacted with reduced paid work and often isolation. For the “Online Freelance Seminar: Equal Treatment for All”, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) gathered over 30 journalists’ representatives, freelance journalists and their organisers, EU policy-makers and experts to discuss such impacts on their working conditions and explore ways to support them. The seminar kicked off with a panel led by Oddrun Midtbø (Norwegian Union of Journalists, NJ) with Renske Heddema, (Dutch Journalists’ Association, NVJ), Charlotte Michils (Flemish Association of Journalists, VVJ) and Pablo Aiquel (French National…

The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) and the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (TUCJ) just launched the #togetherwithouthate (#zajednobezmrznje) campaign. The objective is to warn against the destructive influence of hate speech online and offline journalists are facing because of their work, on the rise for many years. The campaign was launched on Friday 23 October with a call on media outlets to disable the possibility to comment on their websites and social media, for two hours, from 11am to 1pm. Major Croatian media outlets took part in the action, including Jutarnji list, Slobodna Dalmacija, 24sata, Večernji list, Novi list, Glas…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and 21 other organisations from across the globe to submit a statement to the US government in response to proposed changes to the I visa program that will impact on foreign journalists. “To be clear, by these restrictions on the validity of visas, the Trump administration wants to make it much harder and more expensive for foreign journalists to work in the United States,” said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez. “This is why, together with the IFJ and 22 global organisations,…