The brutal announcement on 10 July of the definitive closure of the Al Jazeera Balkans (AJB) TV channel shocked the journalistic community in the Balkans. The last news broadcast was on Saturday. Previously recorded material will continue to be broadcast until the end of July, after which the signal will be permanently switched off. Qatari media outlet Al Jazeera launched its Balkans channel in 2011. It was known for its investigative journalism and regional network of correspondents from Sarajevo, Belgrade, Zagreb, Skopje, Podgorica, Ljubljana and Prishtina. The dramatic news inspired the following comment from the President of the European Federation…

Turkish media regulator RTÜK has imposed an administrative fine and a 10-day broadcasting suspension on Sözcü TV over a statement “Turkey is not a Muslim country” made by Murat Kubilay, a columnist in national media outlets in Turkey, on the ‘Money Politics’ programme. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Turkish affiliates condemn this disproportionate decision which amounts to censorship. According to RTÜK’s decision, Sözcü TV is off the air for 10 days from 9 July. Journalists representing several organisations, including EFJ Turkish affiliates (TGS, DİSK Basın-İş, GCD…) visited the channel’s office in Ankara to express their support. “RTÜK…

The undersigned journalists and media freedom organisations are profoundly appalled by the new attacks against journalists across Serbia, many of which are perpetrated by state representatives and law enforcement authorities. The situation of emergency of media freedom in Serbia – as assessed by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) during its April solidarity mission – has not only persisted but significantly deteriorated at alarming speed, despite our repeated warnings and recommendations.  As of 11 July, the Mapping Media Freedom platform, has documented a total of 95 cases of press freedom violations against 184 journalists, media outlets, and journalists associations in…

An explosive device containing five kilos of TNT was discovered and defused on Thursday afternoon by Greek police outside the home of journalist Yannis Pretenteris in the Athens region. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Greek affiliates, including the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN), in calling for the identification and arrest of the perpetrators of this attempted terrorist attack. An explosive device consisting of five kilos of ammonium-based TNT and a detonator was discovered and defused on Thursday afternoon by a Greek police munitions disposal unit outside the home of Yannis Pretenteris, editor of the weekly…

On 8 July, the European Commission published its 6th Rule of Law (RoL) report, assessing countries’ advancements and progress in four key areas, one of which is media freedom. The same four candidate countries as in 2024 – Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro – are included alongside the 27 EU Member States. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) deplores the fact that the report does not reflect the decline in human rights and press freedom observed in several of the countries monitored, starting with Serbia. The RoL Report is the result of multiple stakeholder consultations (including with the EFJ…

On 2 July, the Dáil passed the Defamation (Amendment) Bill by 83 votes to 61. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) shares the disappointment of the undersigned organisations that, although the Bill contains anti-SLAPP provisions, it does not include the strong safeguards necessary to meaningfully protect public interest speech. Nearly a decade after the review of the Defamation Act 2009 began, this is a frustrating outcome and a missed opportunity to protect the freedom of expression that is the lifeblood of our democracy. The Ireland Anti-SLAPP Network – a coalition of civil society organisations, media lawyers, and academics – has engaged…