Novaya Gazeta’s editor-in-chief and Nobel Prize winner Dmitry Muratov was attacked in a train on Thursday 7 April 2022. Two people doused him with red paint mixed with acetone, injuring his eyes. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) strongly condemned the attack. The incident occurred in a train compartment at the Moscow railway station Kazansky: “They poured oil paint with acetone in the compartment. Eyes burn terribly. Train Moscow-Samara. Oily smell all over the car. Departure has already been delayed by 30 minutes. I’ll try to wash off. He shouted: “Muratov, here’s to you for our boys,” said…

April 9 marks the one-year anniversary of the killing of veteran Greek crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz in Athens. Ahead of the date, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in honouring Karaivaz’s memory and call on the Greek authorities to urgently bring to justice all those responsible for this abhorrent murder and to provide more transparency about the investigation. On April 9, 2021, Karaivaz, an experienced reporter who worked for the TV channel STAR and ran a news website focusing on crime and policing, was gunned down by two men on a scooter outside…

Lithuanian documentary film–maker Mantas Kvedaravicius was killed in Mariupol, Ukraine, by Russian forces on Saturday 2 April as he attempted to leave the city. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemned his “deliberate killing” and have demanded that Russian forces let journalists work without being targeted. Kvedaravicius, 45, was known for his 2016 documentary, Mariupolis, which won Best Documentary at the Lithuanian Film Awards, as well as receiving commendations at the Berlin, Hong Kong and Stockholm film festivals. The film-maker also directed the 2011 award-winning documentary Batzakh, on Russia’s war in Chechnya. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the film-maker’s…

There are at least 951 active lawsuits against Croatian journalists and media in which plaintiffs are demanding 10.3 million Euros in compensation, a Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) survey has revealed. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) support their affiliate’s demands to urgently change the law to end the culture of harassing journalists and the media with lawsuits. Using SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) is a widespread practice in Croatia. Their objective is to censor, intimidate and silence media workers by burdening them with court proceedings. According to the CJA’s survey, at least 951 lawsuits were presented against journalists and media…

Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin who went missing since 13 March while documenting the Russian invasion of Ukraine near the capital, Kyiv, has been found dead on 1 April. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their Ukrainian affiliates, NUJU and IMTUU, in condemning the deliberate attacks on journalists in Ukraine. Maks Levin is the 7th journalist to lose his life in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. The photojournalist, Maks Levin, 40, was a prominent freelancer. His body was found in the Huta-Mezhyhirska village on Friday, according to the news website LB.ua, one of the outlets…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will hold its general assembly in the western Turkish city of İzmir. More than 100 journalists from 45 countries in Europe are expected to meet on 13 and 14 June 2022. İzmir was chosen as the host city of the upcoming congress of the EFJ, which is Europe’s largest journalism organisation with more than 71 members in 45 countries, representing 320,000 journalists in Europe. Co-organised by Turkey’s Journalists’ Union (TGS), the congress will be held in İzmir’s historic Gas Factory, a 160-year-old industrial-plant-turned-cultural centre, in tandem with the Local Media Summit. EFJ President Mogens…