Several journalists were injured during clashes between police and demonstrators on 2 September in Sofia, Bulgaria. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ) join their affiliates in Bulgaria, the Union of Bulgarian Journalists (UBJ), in condemning the police violence against journalists and protestors. The incidents took place during anti-government and anti-corruption protests in Bulgaria which escalated when the Parliament re-opened after the summer break in a new venue with the aim to limit journalists’ access. Police responded with pepper spray and gas against protestors and journalists covering the events. It was also reported that journalist Dimitar Kenarov was kicked…

For the first time since the fraudulent elections in Belarus, journalists demonstrated in front of the Interior Ministry in Minsk. They were protesting against the prolonged detention of six journalists. Police also arrested journalist Larysa Shchyrakova in Homiel and journalist Dzmitry Brushko in Minsk on Thursday. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) demand the immediate release of journalists in detention in Belarus. A group of about 80 journalists organised a demonstration on Thursday in front of the Ministry of Interior in Minsk. They were protesting against the continued detention of six journalists who…

Jan Kuciak has been murdered again. Thursday’s verdict in the trial of the killers of Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová is like a new death sentence for the Slovak journalist. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ and IFJ) denounce a decision that perpetuates impunity and call on the Slovak judiciary to re-examine the case. “This verdict is terribly shocking,” said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez. “Three thugs have been convicted and it is now certain that Jan Kuciak was indeed murdered for his journalistic activity. But the person or persons who ordered the killing remain unpunished.…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), a Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partner, today backs call for the fight for justice for Slovak investigative journalist, Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová to continue, after the Specialized Criminal Court in Pezinok returned a not-guilty verdict for alleged mastermind of their murder, Marian Kočner.  The court also acquitted Alena Zsuzsová, a Kočner confidante suspected of acting as an intermediary in the assassination plot, ruling that the evidence presented against both her and Kočner left reasonable doubt. However, the court did find the third accused Tomáš Szabó, one of the hitmen, guilty…

Update (01/09/2020): Law enforcement officials detained eight more journalists while covering student demonstrations in Minsk on 1 September: Nadzija Kalinina (TUT.BY); Aliaksei Sudnikau (TUT.BY); Sviatoslav Zorki (KP); Mikita Nedaverkau (KP); Maryja Eliashevich (KP); Andrei Shauliyuga (Belapan); Maria Vaitovich (Euroradio); Raman Hadun (Market). —————————- The Belarussian Association of Journalists (BAJ) reported on Sunday eleven new cases of detention of journalists in Belarus. This brings to 141 the number of journalists detained in the country since 9 August. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) demands the immediate release of journalists and the lifting of charges and prosecutions against them. According to the…

After the arbitrary detention of about 50 journalists on Thursday, the Belarusian authorities are stepping up the withdrawal of press accreditations for journalists covering the country’s news for foreign media. A wall of silence is gradually isolating Belarus from the rest of the world. The EFJ condemns the inaction and wait-and-see attitude of the international community. The Belarusian Interdepartmental Commission on Security in the Information Sphere has proceeded to a massive cancellation of press accreditations issued to journalists working for foreign media (AFP, AP, ARD, BBC, RFE/RL, Reuters, RFI…) in recent days. The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) has drawn…