The International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today reiterated their call for an urgent reform of Greek defamation law. The call follows the ruling by a court in Athens which sentenced journalist Kostas Vaxevanis to 26 months in jail, suspended for three years, for defamation. “This is a disproportionate sentence against the journalist which is likely to have a chilling effect on independent reporting in Greece,” said Beth Costa, IFJ General Secretary. “There is an urgent need to reform the Greek law on defamation to strike a fairer balance which protects both the rights of…

Three months after the devastating attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a cyber attack has been launched on 9 April against the French broadcasting network TV5 Monde. According to media reports, TV5 Monde was taken over by individuals claiming to belong to Islamic State, blacking out broadcasts as well as hacking its websites and Facebook page. (Read the full version in French) (Photo: AFP)  

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliates in Germany (Deutscher Journalisten-Verband – DJV and Deutsche Journalistinnen- und Journalisten-Union – dju in ver.di) have today condemned the Turkish authorities for deporting the German photojournalist, Andy Spyra, who was covering the anniversary of the Armenian genocide for Der Spiegel on 29 March. Spyra was stopped and searched by the Turkish authorities on 28 March when he arrived at the Istanbul airport. The authorities accused him of carrying “military-style equipment” and deported him the next day following an overnight detention. He explained in his recent Facebook post that “the military equipment…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has reiterated its call on Slovenian prosecutors to drop the criminal charges against Anuška Delić, an investigative reporter for Delo, a leading Slovenian daily following a court hearing this morning. During the hearing, Delić defended herself in the court against the accusation of violating Article 260 of the Slovenian Criminal Code on the dissemination of classified information. In 2011, Anuška Delić wrote a series of articles, just before the Slovenian parliamentary elections, in which she uncovered alleged connections between the Slovenian neo-Nazi group “Blood and Honour” and members of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS).…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has today welcomed the submission of a draft law to the Greek Parliament to allow the reopening of the Greek public broadcaster ERT and the hiring of over 1,500 former ERT workers. Among others, the draft law will allow the reopening of all channels TV (NET, ERT3, ERT1) and radio broadcasters, as well as the print magazine Radiotileorasi which is published by ERT. The draft contains provisions that guarantee the return of around 1,550 former ERT employees. The EFJ member (Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspapers) in Greece has welcomed the new developments…

Frederike Geerdink, freelance journalist and correspondent in Turkey, is to appear before the court in Diyarbakir, Turkey on Wednesday 8 April. Early January, Geerdink was arrested and held for a short time. According to the authorities in Turkey, Geerdink is accused of spreading propaganda for the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey. The Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the arrest and prosecution of Geerdink saying that the charge against Geerdink is in violation of international law and treaties ratified by the Turkish government on freedom of…

On 31st March, EFJ Director Renate Schroeder together with Freelance Expert Group member Michael Hirschler from the German affiliate DJV met with Member of the European Parliament Jutta Steinruck for a very engaged one hour discussion. Steinruck is member of the Committee for Employment and Social Affairs  and trade union co-ordinator of the S&D Group. Main theme of the talk were the urgent problems journalists’ and other unions face throughout Europe: There are grave loopholes when it comes to social security for freelances; no real negotiation mandates for unions on behalf of freelances, in some Member States freelances cannot  become…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has joined a group of civil society organisations – Corporate Europe Observatory – across Europe opposing the hasty push by the European Commission for a new European Union (EU) Directive on Trade Secrets. Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, the EFJ President said, “The draft directive poses some serious threats to the work of journalists and trade union representatives.” The European Commission draft does not provide a clear exemption for journalists and whistleblowers who publish or reveal information that is in the public interests. Journalists and whistleblowers must show that “…the alleged acquisition, use or disclosure of…

Following months of preparation and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on 4 December 2014 with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other media partners, the Council of Europe (CoE) has officially launched today an online platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists. The platform aims to improve the protection of journalists, better address threats and violence against media professionals and foster early warning mechanisms and response capacity within the Council of Europe. Whenever there is a physical attack on journalists or legal threat to media freedom, such violations…

Update Following our report (below) this morning at 11.24am, it is annouced at 3.30pm today that the ATR TV is shutting down because the Russian telecommunications regulator refused to grant a licence to the TV station. #Crimean Tatar TV channel goes silent http://t.co/Y1WY4y52QB pic.twitter.com/uNcV2Qs03H — Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) April 1, 2015 The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has today condemned the threat of closure facing the Simferopol-based ATR TV station in Crimea.  The operation of ATR and other broadcasters (including children’s entertainment Lale and Meydan FM station) would become illegal imminently if the Russian telecommunications regulator (Roskomnadzor) refuses to grant…

In a conference organised by the European Parliament on “Monitoring media freedom and pluralism in Europe”, Members of the European Parliaments (MEPs) called for actions to be taken by member states and European institutions to guarantee media freedom and pluralism. The conference hosted by MEP Silvia Costa (Chair of Culture and Education Committee) and MEP Claude Moraes (Chairs of Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee) debated with stakeholders, including representative of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Renate Schroeder. In particular, MEPs have highlighted the Media Pluralism Monitoring tool as a way to trigger further action among member states…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns the Public security bill adopted on Thursday by the Spanish Parliament on the proposal from the People’s Party (the right wing conservative in power). The EFJ says the bill is hostile to press freedom and allows government to sanction journalists for taking pictures or filming police forces in the exercise on their duties. Article 26 provides that “unauthorised use of pictures, films or personal/professional data of authorities or members of security forces will be considered as serious offence because they could put their personal or their family’s security in danger.” The sanction provided for is…

Journalists and media workers at Radio France have been on strike since Thursday 19 March called by the unions (CGT, CFDT, FO, Solidaires and Unsa) to oppose the budget cuts. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Broadcasting Expert Group in its meeting on 26 March has expressed their support to the journalists in Radio France to defend public service broadcasting and their fight to maintain quality journalism and decent working conditions. “The management of Radio France announced a budget deficit of 20 million Euros. The employees are protesting against the potential cut of 300 jobs and the plan for…

Turkish cartoonists Bahadir Baruter and Ozer Aydogan, from the Turkish satirical magazine Penguen, have been found guilty of insulting Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a cartoon on the cover of the magazine’s August issue. The court sentenced both cartoonists to 11 months and 20 days in prison on March 24. That sentence was subsequently commuted to a fine of 7,000 Liras (2,500 euros) each. The cartoon depicted newly elected Erdogan arriving at his presidential palace and saying: “What a bland celebration. We could have at least sacrificed a journalist.” The prosecutor alleged that the cartoon was insulting in that one…

In a meeting with delegates of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on Friday 20 March 2015, the EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Mr. Johannes Hahn, has called for more progress made on press freedom in the West Balkans and Turkey. Commissioner Hahn expressed his concerns about media freedom in West Balkans and Turkey and pointed out that it was not satisfactory to see these countries receiving the same critical comments every year. He confirmed that the Commission considers media freedom as a fundamental right and as a key element in the transformation of countries into democratic…

Board members of the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS), together with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), organised this weekend (21-22 March 2015) in Istanbul the union’s third Strategic & Development workshop in a year. This was an opportunity for the new board (elected at the TGS Congress in December 2013) to evaluate their recruitment and development strategies, identify new areas of potential growth, reassess all ongoing projects with partners and take the necessary steps to move forward. Although Turkey’s Constitution affirms the right of workers to form labour unions “without obtaining permission”, “to possess…