The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is calling on the Azerbaijan authorities to release journalist Elnara Gasimova and her colleagues from the independent investigative outlet Abzas Media, arbitrarily detained on suspicions of corruption. All charges held against them should be immediately dropped. Summoned by the Baku City Main Police Department as a witness in a criminal case involving her colleagues from Abzas Media, 29-year-old Elnara Gasimova was arrested in 13 January 2024, becoming the sixth journalist involved in the “Abzas Media” case that started in November 2023. On 15 January, the Khatai District Court ordered her pre-trial detention for a…

On Tuesday 6 February, 17 organisations, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), who actively monitor and defend press freedom, the rule of law and human rights in Europe sent a joint letter to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. In the letter, they express their deep concern about the ongoing deterioration of fundamental rights in Greece. The organisations, including EFJ, note serious violations of Greece’s rule of law obligations under European Union (EU) treaties including a major ongoing surveillance scandal, government interference in media, abusive lawsuits against journalists and activists, and an overall unsafe working environment…

Hundreds protested in Belgrade today over a court ruling that acquitted four former intelligence officers jailed for the 1999 murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) stands in solidarity with the demonstrators gathered to demand an end to impunity. The protest was organised by the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, together with the EFJ affiliates in Serbia (UNS, NUNS, KUM Nezavisnost), NDNV, Media Association, AOM, Local Press and ANEM. An appeals court ruling published on Friday overturned the 2021 convictions and lengthy jail terms for four intelligence officers. The long long legal process has been marked by dramatic twists.…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) supports the demonstration organised today at 2pm in front of the Belgrade Court of Appeal to denounce the outrageous acquittal of the alleged killers of Serbian journalist Slavko Ćuruvija. We call on the Serbian authorities to put an end to impunity in this case. “The murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, which was ordered and organised by the state, remains an unpunished crime, 25 years after it was committed and nine years after the start of the trial,” the Slavko Curuvija Foundation said, noting that the Court of Appeal acquitted four members of the State…

Bosnia and Herzegovina Radio and Television (BHRT) is facing catastrophic financial difficulties and risks being shut down, leaving 800 employees with no job, if a funding agreement is not reached. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) appeals to the BHRT management and politicians to find a solution as a matter of urgency. The national public broadcaster was deprived of its only source of income, when the state-owned electric utility company Elektroprivreda BiH did not collect the TV licence fees from the citizens along with their January electricity bills. The contract with Elektroprivreda BiH was not renewed last December…

As the Council of the EU is expected to vote on the AI Act on 2 February 2024, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) urges the EU Member States to reach a long-awaited political agreement on this important text for journalism. The media reported that Germany and France were still blocking several provisions just a few days before the vote, suggesting that negotiations are not yet completely concluded. They fear that this regulation will subject their startups to increased scrutiny related to foundation models. In Germany, the coalition government could withhold its backing for the law. With an internal consultation…