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”…