The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joins the undersigned media freedom and journalist groups in expressing dismay at the decision of Romania’s Prosecutor Office at the Bucharest Court of Appeal to close the investigation into the smear campaign against journalist Emilia Șercan. To do so, the Prosecutor made the extraordinary ruling that ‘the offences’ – including the publication of stolen private photos and the presumed disclosure of evidence held by the police – ‘were not provided for by the criminal law’. This decision comes twenty months after Șercan first filed a complaint to the police about stolen personal photos…

On 26 October 2023, the United Kingdom passed legislation in the British Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, including provisions to fight Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP). Considered a “landmark moment” by the UK’s Anti-SLAPP Coalition, the adoption of the new measures will guarantee to protect journalists reporting on financial crime and corruption. However, the coalition is calling for a stand-alone anti-SLAPP bill to give equal protection to all those who speak out in the public interest. Under the Act, which aims to implement reforms to tackle economic crime and improve transparency over corporate entities, the UK will allow courts…

Update (06/11/23): Journalist Tolga Şardan has been released on 6 November upon an objection petition filed by his lawyers. The EFJ welcomes his release but considers the travel ban imposed on him as wholly unwarranted. ————————– The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned media freedom, freedom of expression, human rights and journalists’ organizations in strongly condemning the arrest of seasoned journalist Tolga Şardan in Ankara. On the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI), the undersigned groups demand that instead of punishing journalists for informing the public, Turkey’s judiciary should hold accountable…

Access to reliable information that journalists provide civil society is the lifeblood of a resilient democracy, where a robust system of checks and balances thrives. Impunity for the killings of journalists diminishes the rule of law and press freedom. As today we mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, we want to pay a special tribute to those reporters in Europe whose families still await justice for their murders. They were threatened, targeted and murdered for challenging the powerful and corrupt. We call on the states to redouble their political will to tackle impunity. When Greek…

While the number of journalists killed has fallen sharply in Europe compared to last year, the number of cases of impunity for murder continues to rise. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) currently counts 48 unpunished crimes in 13 countries. To mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on November 2, 2023, the EFJ calls states to take concrete action to end impunity for these crimes. 48 murders and assassinations of journalists go unpunished in Europe: 16 in Kosovo, 7 in Russia, 6 in Ukraine, 6 in Turkey, 3 in Serbia, 2 in Greece, 2 in Azerbaijan, 1…

The host of the “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” podcast, Nenad Kulacin is once again the target of threats. The last threat to the presenter was sent via social networks from an anonymous account. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its partner the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), organisations dedicated to protecting media freedom and the rights of journalists, to share their concerns about the rising  threats targeting the presenter. We note that the competent institutions in Serbia have not yet determined the identity of any perpetrator in the cases that have…

Dublin county is one of the smallest in Ireland but by far the most populated, given the capital city sits there. While the centre is bustling with activity and news, just 20km north risks getting left behind. Local newspaper Dublin Inquirer is hoping to fill this gap by expanding its innovative business model to the region of Fingal county.  Towards the end of last year, one of the largest media companies in Ireland shut its edition covering Fingal in the north of Dublin. The Dublin Inquirer, a local and independent newspaper, is hoping to fill this gap by expanding their…

Following a press freedom mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 22-25 October 2023, the partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) warn that media freedom in the country is in decline against a backdrop of new restrictive laws, hostile rhetoric and denigration of journalists by public officials, and ongoing systemic challenges to the independence of public service media. While the country had long experienced a stagnation in its progress for freedom of the media and freedom of expression, the situation has seen an overall decline, even as the country was granted candidate status for accession to the European…

UPDATE (28/10/23): According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the Union of Journalists in Israel, as of 3 November, at least 36 journalists were among more than 10,000 dead on both sides since the war began on 7 October: 31 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 1 Lebanese. —————————- The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has co-signed an appeal by journalists for a ceasefire and to protect the right of access to information in Israel and Palestine. The EFJ supports calls by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) for full and transparent investigation of any and all…

As the European Parliament, Council and Commission enter the final negotiations on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), media freedom and human rights groups today call for the adoption of the Parliament’s text, which, while also in need of further strengthening, is currently the version best equipped to roll back the creeping spread of media capture. The recent elections in Poland underscore the need for a strong EMFA. The opposition won a majority, despite the fact the governing PiS party “enjoyed clear advantage through its undue influence over the use of state resources and the public media”, according to an…

Update (01/12/2023): A Russian court on 1st December extended the pre-trial detention of US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until 5 February. —————————– On 18 October, Prague-based journalist Alsu Kurmasheva working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was detained by Kazan Authorities on charges of ‘failing to register herself as a foreign agent’. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) strongly condemn the detention of an innocent journalist and demand Russian authorities release her immediately. The Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who lives in Prague, Czech Republic’s capital, arrived in Russia on 20 May for a family emergency. On her way back to…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Italian affiliate the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI) in deploring the Italian government’s decision to lower the public broadcaster’s RAI license fee in 2024. The budget plan for 2024, adopted on 16 October 2023, will decrease the license fee, the so-called Canone RAI,  from 90 euros per year to 70 euros, a cut of around 22%. The national public service media (PSM) RAI will now face a yearly 20 million euros deficit. The Italian PSM is mainly funded by the license fee, and only to a lesser extent by advertising revenues. “The…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Latvia Union of Journalists (LŽS) in Riga, Latvia on 18 October 2023 to host a seminar on the threats and challenges faced by journalists and media workers in the Baltic States. The seminar was organised in the framework of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR). It put a spotlight on the similarities and differences in the media world in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in terms of media freedom and violations of the right to freedom of expression. Hosted at the NOASS art center on the Daugava River, the workshop was organised with…

The defamation lawsuit brought by North Macedonia’s former deputy PM Kocho Angjushev must be conducted with the utmost transparency. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliate the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM-ZNM) in condemning the decision by Judge Jovanka Spirovska Paneva on 13 October to close a hearing in the libel case. Journalists and members of the public had to leave the courtroom. The EFJ supports the legal action brought by AJM-ZNM to denounce this decision. АЈM-ZNM has submitted an application to the Judicial Council to challenge the decision of Judge Jovanka Spirovska Paneva. The case is…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) fully supports the appeal made to the French authorities by more than 180 foreign correspondents of the French media. The EFJ joins its affiliates in France, SNJ, SNJ-CGT and CFDT-Journalistes, in calling on the authorities and employers to take concrete action in favour of these journalists. Here is their appeal: On the occasion of the official launch of the “Etats généraux de l’information” on 3 October in France, more than 180 current and former foreign reporters and correspondents based abroad are calling on the French authorities to address the deterioration in our working conditions.…

A tribute to the 73 journalists (*) who lost their lives during the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine. That’s how Sergiy Tomilenko, the president of NUJU, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, referred to the photo exhibition Ukraine: journalists in war zones which opened at the Ukrainian Civil Society Hub in Brussels on 17 October. The opening of the display was put on in collaboration with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The exhibition will be open every day till the 23 October. “Let’s honor the fallen journalists with a few…