The International and European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) lend their full support to their Serbian member, the Independent Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), targeted by a coordinated campaign initiated by the newly formed pro-government Association of Journalists of Serbia (AJS/ANS). NUNS was labeled as an organisation that “supports the riot organisers” simply for opening its office in Belgrade to journalists and media workers who would have difficulty in reaching their newsrooms due to traffic disruptions on demonstration days.  This direct attack on NUNS have sparked a smear campaign across media supported by dozens of pro-government media outlets spreading hostile narrative and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined CDT Europe and 11 civil society and journalists’ organisations, all members of the Spyware Coordination Group, in an open letter to the EU institutions expressing its grave concerns about the continued unchecked use of spyware within the European Union. We hence urge EU Institutions to take concrete, coordinated action to respond to the growing threats posed by spyware, strengthen the security and resilience of Europe’s digital infrastructure and cyberspace, and address the proliferation of commercial surveillance technologies within the EU internal market. The letter highlights that despite continued evidence of spyware misuse, including…

Update (26/11/25): A Turkish court sentenced Fatih Altaylı to four years and two months in prison for “threatening” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists’ organizations today in stronglying condemn the arrest of Turkish journalist Fatih Altaylı over his political commentary during a YouTube live broadcast and call for his immediate release. Fatih Altaylı, a prominent journalist and columnist, was taken into custody and arrested on June 21, 2025, hours after a segment of his YouTube broadcast went viral on social media. In the video, Altaylı…

On 20 June, the Baku Court of Serious Crimes, in Azerbaijan, sentenced seven media workers affiliated with the independent investigative outlet Abzas Media – including director Ulvi Hasanli, editor-in-chief Sevinc Vagifgizi, investigative journalist Hafiz Babaly, reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasymova, translator Muhammad Kekalov, and Radio Free Europe correspondent Farid Mehralizade – to prison terms ranging from seven and a half to nine years. The charges included “currency smuggling,” “money laundering,” “tax evasion” and forgery of documents. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) denounces this rigged trial based on trumped-up charges, and calls on the European Union to step up…

As of June 24, 2025, Vladyslav Yesypenko, a Ukrainian journalist unlawfully held for over four years, has been freed from Russian occupied Crimea. Yesypenko was a freelance contributor to Krym.Realii (a project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), when he was seized in March 2021 by Russia’s Federal Security Service. In a closed trial, after a forced confession (which he eventually renounced saying it was forced out of him through torture), Yesypenko was wrongfully sentenced to six years on fabricated charges. Yesypenko was deprived of independent legal assistance during his detention, and domestic and international observers were prohibited from his trial.…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned Media Freedom Rapid Response partners and Council of Europe Safety of Journalists Platform members in expressing support for their colleague Flutura Kusari, Senior Legal Advisor at the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), ahead of her forthcoming legal action against Mentor Llugaliu. We call on the Basic Prosecution of Prishtina in Kosovo to conduct a swift, impartial, and thorough investigation into the case. On March 21, 2025, Kusari filed a criminal report against Mentor Llugaliu, an online activist and supporter of Kosovo’s ruling party, the Vetevendosje Movement, accusing him…

The process for the appointment of new members to the council of Serbia’s media regulator has again been conducted in a non-transparent and discriminatory manner, in clear violation of Serbian legislation, making a mockery of democratic media reforms demanded by the European Union, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) said today with partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and SafeJournalists Network. Last week, candidates and nominator organisations which are independent of the government pulled out of the process for appointing new members of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), Serbia’s most important media regulator.…

Organised in Namur (Belgium) on 16-17 June 2025, the fourth ‘Stand Up for Journalism’ workshop was dedicated to the mental wellbeing of journalists. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), in partnership with its Belgian affiliate the Association des journalistes professionnels (AJP), gathered 35 union representatives and experts from 13 countries to discuss how to support journalists’ organisations in tackling psychosocial risks that are increasingly affecting journalists, such as burnout. Solutions identified include stronger legislative frameworks, development of in-house programs such as peer support, and trainings, especially for managers. Many studies throughout Europe show that journalists are workers at high risk…

Looking at the data from the 2025 Digital News Report, issued today, one thing is strikingly clear: Europe (and the world) is in the midst of a trust crisis. At this moment, we are witnessing populist governments amassing rapid support, misinformation becoming endlessly prolific, and the want for trusted news has never been greater. This fourteenth edition of the Report is based on data from six continents and 48 countries.  While the demand for trustworthy information is rising higher than ever, audiences continue to disengage from traditional and reputable news sources. While the 2025 Digital News Report finds global trust…

As the ruling Georgian Dream party intensifies efforts to consolidate authoritarian rule, independent media face unprecedented pressure and are now on the brink of survival. Journalists are increasingly subjected to detentions, physical attacks, arbitrary fines, censorship, as well as financial and institutional repression. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins international media freedom, journalists’, and human rights organisations, renew our call on the international community, especially the European Union (EU), to exert effective pressure on the Georgian Dream ruling party to end the suppression of independent journalism and to uphold democratic principles and media freedom. We further reiterate our full…

The Citizen Lab today confirmed that three European journalists, including two Italians were targeted with Paragon’s Graphite mercenary spyware. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is calling on the governments concerned and the European Union to shed full light on these illegal spying operations which compromise democracy. On 1 February 2025, it was revealed that Italian journalist Francesco Cancellato, the editor-in-chief of Italian news outlet Fanpage, was among more than 90 individuals worldwide to have had their WhatsApp hacked using Graphite, a military-grade zero-click spyware sold by Israel-based Paragon Solutions. Citizen Lab researchers today said they found new evidence that two more…

UPDATE (18.06.2025) On 16 June, French journalist Yanis Mhamdi was released and extradited to Jordan , he said in a post on X. French journalists Omar Faiad and Yanis Mhamdi, who were on board the Madleen vessel, were arbitrarily arrested by Israeli authorities when the ship was intercepted on 8 June in international waters as it approached the shores of Gaza. While Faiad was released 24 hours after signing a series of documents, Mhamdi is still being held in custody. The International and the European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) demand that journalists are not forced to sign any documents to secure…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has adopted a strong resolution at its General Meeting in Budapest on 3 June 2025, calling for urgent action to tackle inequality, discrimination, and violence faced by women journalists across Europe. The resolution, tabled by the EFJ Steering Committee and its Expert Group on Gender and Diversity (GENDEG), follows new findings from a Europe-wide survey that paints a troubling picture of the realities many women journalists face today. “We need to take concrete action towards these persistent gender inequalities in the media in Europe; discrimination by gender or diversity is not only a human…

Greek journalists’ unions declared today a 24-hour nationwide strike. The action suspended news bulletins on television and radio and froze online updates. Newspapers were not published on Wednesday due to the walkout. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) fully supports the strike and the call by its Greek affiliates for better working conditions and collective labour agreements. Today’s 24-hour strike is supported by EFJ affiliates in Greece, JUADN, ESIEMTH, PFJU and PEPU-ESPIT. They demand a new collective bargaining agreement, with a minimum starting salary of €1,250, 10% wage hikes, pay for weekend shifts, and higher daily allowances for assignments in…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium published an updated report on the state of media freedom in Croatia following an advocacy mission to Zagreb between 19 to 21 May 2025. The purpose of the mission was to assess the government’s progress in implementing recommendations made following the MFRR online fact-finding mission in September 2024, and to identify new and emerging threats to media freedom and independent journalism. During the three-day visit, the delegation engaged with a diverse range of stakeholders, including journalists, publishers, media leaders, representatives from journalist associations and unions, and key institutional actors such as the Ministry of Culture…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined media freedom groups in welcoming the conviction of the two gang members who supplied car bomb which killed Maltese journalist. Guilty verdicts handed down to two gang members who supplied the car bomb which killed Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia mark another vital step forward in the fight for full justice, the undersigned media freedom organisations said today. We jointly hail the convictions of Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, reached via a jury in Valletta on June 5, as a crucial development in the fight against impunity which we hope will strengthen the…