One year ago, as Russian forces retreated from the outskirts of Kyiv in the first days of April, the world was shocked by the emerging images and testimonies of the atrocities suffered by the local civilian population during the month-long occupation of the region. In a few days, Bucha, the largest town in Kyiv’s immediate northwestern suburbs, became an international symbol of the war crimes committed as part of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Among the hundreds of civilian victims, Ukrainian journalists Roman Nezhyborets and Zoreslav Zamoysky were found dead, killed in conditions likely never to be fully determined. While the world discovered the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is a partner of the ReMeD project on Resilient Media for Democracy in the Digital Age which was kicked off on 31 March 2023 in Pamplona, Spain. Funded by Horizon Europe and coordinated by the University of Navarra, in partnership with six European universities, ReMeD aims to address the current challenges to a healthy relationship between the media and democracy. In particular, the project will produce policy recommendations to guide European digital media legislation, including the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act, and the upcoming Media Freedom Act. With an interdisciplinary approach and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined more than 30 global press freedom groups and news organizations in a letter to Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, calling for Evan Gershkovich’s immediate release. Ambassador Anatoly I. Antonov Embassy of the Russian Federation to the United States 2650 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20007 Via email: rusembusa@mid.ru March 30, 2023 Dear Ambassador Antonov, We, the undersigned news organizations and nongovernmental press freedom organizations, write to express our deep concern regarding your government’s detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich and the unfounded espionage charges leveled against him. Gershkovich, who works…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and their affiliates in Russia, JMWU, and in the United States, NewsGuild-CWA, call on Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Wall Street Journal reporter and U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich, detained on Thursday in Yekaterinburg. He could face up to 20 years in prison as the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) says he was “collecting classified information”. Gershkovich is the first reporter for a US news outlet to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the cold war. On 30 March, the FSB stated that it had…

On 13 September 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that: “We need to better shield ourselves from malign interference. This is why we will present a Defence of Democracy package. It will bring covert foreign influence and shady funding to light. We will not allow any autocracy’s Trojan horses to attack our democracies from within.” The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined 45 organisations based in Europe and active in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, in issuing recommendations for an ambitious Defence of Democracy package, for a wide view of how…

Legal intimidation and SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are attempts to intimidate and silence public watchdogs through lengthy and expensive litigation proceedings by starting meritless lawsuits. These threats mostly target civil society actors participating in public debates, including human rights advocates, whistle-blowers, climate activists and even academics more broadly. Under the pretext of seeking justice or protecting their rights, those who start these actions only seek to drain them from their resources (time and money) and force them to self-censor. These abusive tactics have become a very effective way to repress dissent and limit the public’s access to truthful…