The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), its Georgian affiliate (IAGJ), and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemn the two-year prison sentence handed down by the Georgian court on 6 August to Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli.  We demand her immediate release and an independent investigation into the allegations of mistreatment against her. The journalist’s health and vision have alarmingly declined over the past months. Amaglobeli was unjustly held in pre-trial detention in January on disproportionate charges of “attacking” a police officer following an altercation with a police chief in Batumi during a government crackdown on democratic protests.   The journalist…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the SafeJournalists Network (SJN), and its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), and civil society organizations in Albania, in expressing utmost concern regarding the proposed amendments to the Penal Code. Several provisions within the draft published by the Ministry of Justice, specifically Articles 865 (Defamation), 863 (Insult), and 536 (Influencing Judicial Independence), pose direct threats to media freedom, the safety of journalists, and the fundamental right to freedom of expression. As we continue to closely monitor developments and prepare a detailed legal assessment, based on our initial analysis of the published…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in sending a letter to the management of the University Psychiatric Clinic of Ljubljana regarding six civil defamation lawsuits filed by the institution against the media outlet N1 and its journalists. We demand the immediate withdrawal of the SLAPP lawsuits.   01 August 2025 For the attention of: Vesna Marinko, President of the Board Damijan Perne, Managing Director   University Psychiatric Clinic of Ljubljana Ljubljana, Chengdujska cesta 45,  SI-1260 Ljubljana – Polje   Dear management of the University Psychiatric Clinic of Ljubljana The undersigned…

Ahead of the expected verdict in the case of veteran Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli on Friday 1st August, the undersigned press freedom, journalists, and human rights organisations jointly renew our call on Georgian Dream authorities to dismiss the criminal charge against her and to facilitate her immediate release. Amaglobeli has been unjustly held in pre-trial detention since her arrest in January, during which time her health and eyesight have dangerously deteriorated. She has been charged under the criminal code for attacking a police officer — a charge widely regarded as excessive and politically motivated — which carries a potential sentence of…

We, the undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists’ organisations express our deep concern at the escalating mistreatment of imprisoned Azerbaijani journalists from Abzas Media, and call on Azerbaijan’s authorities to commit to their international human rights obligations, including those under the UN Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We also demand that the authorities ensure humane and dignified conditions of detention, provide immediate access to medical care and legal representation, and uphold Azerbaijan’s international human rights commitments. Ulvi Hasanli, the director of Abzas Media, is being held in unacceptable conditions in the…

Following the publication of the so-called “transparency template” by the European Commission’s AI Office on 24 July, most AI model providers will be required to publish summaries of training data as of 2 August 2025. Although these templates were initially designed to facilitate copyright enforcement by obliging AI developers to disclose the origin of their training data, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the media and creative sectors in criticising the finalised template, having repeatedly called for more detailed transparency obligations. Required by the AI Act, this obligation for AI model providers to disclose the data used to train…