The persecution of journalists in Belarus for exercising their profession is commonplace under President Aleksander Lukashenko’s regime. Five years after Lukashenko’s latest fraudulent electoral victory, journalists and media in the country face an intensified crackdown, including disproportionate prison sentences. This has led to a worrying erosion of press freedom, further weakening civil society. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and their affiliate, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), in calling for the immediate release of all journalists and media workers unjustly imprisoned. We demand that the authorities cease the criminalisation of journalism, as…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has joined forces with the Safety of Journalists Network (SJN) to call for the immediate release of journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac and the dropping of charges against her aimed at criminalizing her reporting.* Late last night, 7 August, Miljanović Zubac was transferred from Trebinje to Sarajevo, accompanied by police officers and Border Police inspectors. Before the transfer, her family home was searched and her professional items and devices confiscated. She is suspected of “disclosing official secrets.” The Bosnia and Herzegovina Journalists’ Association (BHJA) and the wider journalist community are appalled. Authorized officials of the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in welcoming the historic entry into force of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), which represents a landmark achievement in ongoing efforts to safeguard media pluralism and independence across the European Union. Today, 8 August 2025, marks a new era for media freedom in the EU and comes at a crucial time for the defence of democratic values within the bloc. However, while some limited steps have been taken by national governments, overall progress is seriously lacking and many Member States have either yet to begin…

The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) comes fully into force today, 8 August 2025. Yet, in most EU Member States, the EMFA is still a long way from being implemented. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is calling on all EU governments to fulfil their obligations and execute the necessary reforms without delay for the EMFA to become the long-awaited shield that protects free and independent journalism in the European Union. “It’s historic. For the first time, there is a regulation dealing with the work of journalists, protecting journalism, media pluralism, transparency and many other issues we have never been…

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…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliate in Kosovo, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK), in expressing concern that no visible action has been taken regarding the need to prevent the financial collapse of the public broadcaster, RTK. As we approach the end of July and the deadline for allocating the second part of the budget is looming, EFJ and AJK make an urgent call to the caretaker Government of Kosovo to immediately take measures to allocate the budget due to RTK. Failure to do so puts at risk the basic functioning of the Public Broadcaster, RTK,…

Today, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) launched an appeal for donations from European journalists to support their colleagues in Gaza, who are facing an unprecedented level of forced starvation. The campaign, called ‘From Journalist to Journalist’, was launched to all the organisations representing journalists in Europe by EFJ President Maja Sever and PJS President Nasser Abu Bakr. “I thank European journalists’ organisations for their efforts to convince their governments to take concrete action to put an end to the forced starvation in Gaza and the war crimes and crimes against humanity targeting civilians,…

On 23 July, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) submitted its contribution to the European Commission’s consultation on the European Media Freedom Act’s (EMFA) Article 18. Under Article 18, very large online platforms (VLOPs) will be required to respect new procedural safeguards when they intend to remove or restrict the visibility of journalistic content. The EFJ underlines the importance of a strong journalists’ privilege to protect editorial content from arbitrary and opaque content moderation practices deployed by VLOPs. To benefit from Article 18’s safeguards, media service providers must complete a self-declaration attesting to their compliance with specific criteria, such as adherence to editorial standards…

This article was originally published in the journal “Public Value International”, volume 7: “Under Attack! Populism & Public Service Media”, Under Attack! Antidemokratischer Populismus und Medien (Östereichischer Rundfunk, ORF). Public service media is there to serve the public — the citizens, who fund them and to whom they owe responsibility, transparency, and trust. In times of democratic instability, the rise of populism, and increasingly frequent attacks on media freedom, public broadcasters should be the backbone of the media ecosystem – the strongest pillar – precisely because they do not – or less – rely on advertisers or politically influenced funding.…

The German trade union and journalists’ association DJV and dju inver.di have secured an average wage increase of 10.5 percent in three phases until the end of 2027 for daily newspaper workers. The agreement was reached in July 2025 after the tenth round of negotiations between the union and the publishers’ association BDZV, and applies retroactively from January 2025. The negotiations were accompanied by 36 nationwide strikes, which played a key role in reaching the agreement. Freelancers and young journalists will particularly benefit, with their salaries expected to increase by up to 16% over a three-year period. The German newspaper market,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Serbian members, the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS), and the Branch Trade Union of Culture, Arts and Media ‘Nezavisnost’ in expressing strong protest over a series of alarming cases indicating systematic retaliation and pressure against employees and freelance associates at Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), particularly those who have voiced their support and expressed opinions in favor of objective, professional, and legally grounded reporting. EFJ member organisations from Serbia have recorded multiple cases in which employees were punished, had their contracts terminated, or were placed…