The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) welcomes the 5 September ruling reopening the investigation into the crimes against journalist Emilia Șercan. This is a positive step towards addressing the harassment and intimidation she has faced for the last two years. This ruling comes after a long legal battle by Șercan to hold accountable those responsible for smear campaigns against her and leaking her private photos, following her reports on high-profile cases of plagiarism, including the President of the Romanian Senate, and former Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă.  The initial investigation produced a litany of errors, unnecessary delays, and breaches of procedure…

On 9 September, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) will begin a press freedom mission to Croatia. The delegation will meet with government representatives, journalists and journalistic associations, civil society, and renowned media experts to discuss the most pressing challenges to media freedom and pluralism in the country. Between 9 and 20 September 2024, the MFRR partners will conduct an online fact-finding mission to Croatia with a special focus on the safety of journalists, the long-overdue and much-needed media law reforms, transparency in media ownership and state advertising, the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) and other legal threats (including criminal…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the SafeJournalists network strongly condemned the threats against the journalist and editor-in-chief of the Morski.hr portal Jurica Gašpar, and called on the authorities to ensure justice by identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators. On 1 September 2024, the Morski.hr portal reported that after a business meeting in which the Croatian Association of Private Shippers negotiated an arrangement with the Public Relations agency of Ankica Mamić, a message appeared in the WhatsApp group “Shippers in the Adriatic” calling for the kidnapping of the editor of the portal, Jurica Gašpar, due to his critical reporting on…

At a time when workers are facing many challenges regarding their working conditions, they are increasingly developing solutions to join forces and fight for labor rights. One of the most effective solutions is the creation of works councils.  Despite a recurring opposition from tech employers, workers councils are multiplying all around Europe. They are essential tools implemented to strengthen a safer work culture in organisations as they allow workers to defend their rights within a specific company. Employees from works councils must be informed about the economic situation of the company and employers need to consult them for major layoffs…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins 30 civil society and journalists’ organisations to demand that the necessary regulatory measures against spyware threats are implemented by the EU institutions. A comprehensive approach and effective solutions are key to address this crucial issue for EU democratic values, public debate and healthy civic spaces. The coalition calls for the ban on the production, sale, and use of spyware during the new legislative term.  Read the full letter below:

The European and International Federation of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) and its Romanian affiliate FAIR MediaSind express alarming concern for both the public media sector and freelance media workers. In a letter sent to the Romanian authorities on 2 September, the federations urged the authorities to engage in open consultation and discussion with civil society and journalists’ unions and to ensure the fundamental rights of media workers and the sustainability of the media industry, including public support at arm’s length. The longstanding crisis in public media requires urgent action.

By EFJ President Maja Sever (originally published on Social Europe) The journalist Heba al-Abdallah was born in Khan Yunis in 1993. At Al-Azhar University, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Arabic language and media. The defence of her master’s thesis awaited. Heba was married and had a daughter, Judy. She was a news anchor and presenter at a radio station, collaborated with a university, and was on the board of directors of the Social Media Club in Palestine. She also worked on the working women’s file for the Subordinate Workers’ Movement. ‘These days are among the most difficult moments that a person…

On 14 October 2024, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will organise a conference at ULB Solbosch in Bruxelles, Belgium, as part of its Media Councils in the Digital Age (MCDA) project. This conference will also feature a discussion on intergenerational media literacy within the E-engaged project. Recent EU legislation on media freedom but also illegal content online, transparent advertisement in the media and disinformation give regulatory bodies increasingly more responsibilities. But what are the demarcations between regulation and self-regulation, a long-standing tradition in Europe’s press sector? What will be the new roles of regulators under the European Media Freedom…

After decades of impunity, there has been a move towards justice finally being served in the case of the four Dutch journalists murdered by military forces in El Salvador in 1982. The investigation, which was reopened in 2020, has identified those allegedly responsible for the crime and has been elevated to trial status. This could set a precedent for other crimes which were committed during El Salvador’s internal conflict in the 1980s and which are still to be judged. The International and European Federations of Journalists, together with the Dutch Association of Journalists (Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten) and the Journalists’ Association…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), stands in full solidarity with “B.T.” Danish journalist Claes Kirkeby Theilgaard and Swedish political reporter Inas Hamdan, working for “Sydsvenskan”, who have been threatened for their political reporting, including their coverage on demonstrations related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  On 25 July, an unprecedented incident occurred when reporter Inas Hamdan was threatened at her residence by a crowd gathered outside her home in Malmö, Sweden. As reported by the journalist, they were protesting her coverage of the weekly Malmö rallies to end the Israel-Palestine…

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) are deeply shocked by the deadly Russian missile attack in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on 24 August 2024. The attack claimed the life of Reuters media worker Ryan Evans and left another six people injured. The federations join their affiliate in Ukraine, the National Union of Journalists (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU), in expressing their sincere condolences to the family of Ryan Evans and their full solidarity with the injured journalists and all media workers who work under daily threats to report on the Russo-Ukrainian…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the International Press Institute (IPI) and the undersigned freedom of the press and expression organisations in denouncing the decision by the Turkish appeals court to uphold the 20-month prison sentence against renowned journalist Bülent Mumay. This verdict represents a severe assault on press freedom and freedom of expression in Turkey, further eroding the foundations of democratic discourse in the country. We urgently call on Turkish authorities to end their harassment of critical journalists. Mumay’s case is emblematic of the systematic repression of independent journalism in Turkey. Mumay’s only legal recourse is to file…

On 22 August 2024, Italian state police arrested four suspects from the neofascist group CasaPound for the violent physical attack on the Italian journalist Andrea Joly in Turin in July. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their Italian affiliate, the National Federation of the Italian Press (FNSI), in condemning this brutal assault and calling on the Italian authorities to take immediate and decisive action against extremist groups like CasaPound, which must be deterred from committing such attacks. On the night of 20 July 2024, CasaPound’s militants were holding a party in a club called ‘Asso di Bastoni’, in…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), 38 European journalists’ unions and more than 20 press freedom NGOs today sent a letter to the European Union’s top diplomats calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and for sanctions against those responsible for Israel’s war crimes and repeated violations of international law. The letter was drafted on the initiative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). It is co-signed among others by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Human Rights Watch (HRW), IFEX, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)… Here is our joint…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Montenegrin affiliate, the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (TUMM), in urgently calling on the relevant authorities to protect female journalists from misogynistic and sexist threats by ensuring that investigations are treated with the seriousness they deserve, including establishing the gender-based motive and the link to journalistic work.  On 25 July 2024, the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro issued an opinion with recommendations, regarding the police investigation of the rape threats targeting female journalists from several media outlets in Montenegro. By law, the Police Directorate is required to submit…

The undersigned Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) organizations call on the Spanish government to fully repeal the so-called “Gag Law” as part of its announced “democratic regeneration” efforts. While we welcome the initial proposed changes to the law, these fall short of the full repeal necessary to protect free expression in Spain. In Spain, despite an overall positive assessment of media freedom by the European Commission in its latest rule of law report, a problematic decade-old law still hinders journalists’ ability to perform their work duties.  In July, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced his intention to pass a “democratic regeneration”…