Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested by the Iranian police in Tehran on 19 December, while on assignment, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their affiliate, the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI), in calling on the Iranian authorities to release the journalist immediately and unconditionally. In a statement published on 27 December, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, 29, by police in Tehran, where the journalist was travelling for her job. According to the ministry, the Italian Ambassador to Iran, Paola Amadei, paid a consular visit, to…

On 4 December, journalist Philippe Miller was arrested by a dozen police officers and placed in police custody for 48 hours for investigating a Parisian law firm. The search of his seized equipment has just been authorized by the liberty and detention judge during a hearing on the contestation of the searched seals. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliates strongly condemn the judicial intimidation of journalists and reiterate the importance of upholding the fundamental right to the confidentiality of sources. On 18 October, Philippe Miller, who works for the online press site “Warning Trading”, which specialises in news about…

The undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression, media, journalists and human rights organisations express solidarity towards journalists and media in Georgia. Faced with violence, threats, detentions, equipment destruction and seizure, journalists in Georgia are entering what is supposed to be a festive period with uncertainty and fear for their safety. Solidarity and support is needed now more than ever. The MFRR partners condemn continuous attacks and pressure on media workers and repeat the call for a strong reaction by EU officials and institutions to address this violence. The protests against the Georgian Dream’s decision to pause EU membership negotiations started…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN), in expressing serious concern over the revelations in Amnesty International’s forensic analysis, exposing the invasive use of spyware and other digital tools by Serbian intelligence services and police to hack journalists’ phones as part of a covert surveillance campaign. These concerning revelations come amidst escalating threats against journalists in Serbia. In the report “A Digital Prison”: Surveillance and the Suppression of Civil Society in Serbia” published on 16 December 2024, Amnesty International revealed that mobile forensic products made by the Israeli…

On 10 December 2024, the judge of Minsk City Court, sentenced journalist Volha Radzivonava to four years of imprisonment for criminal defamation. The IFJ and EFJ support their affiliate, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) in condemning this blatant attack on free speech, as “another effort to silence independent journalism and restrict critical voices in Belarus.” Volha Radzivonava worked for KYKY.org news portal and freelanced for other news outlets. She was arrested on 7 March 2024 for allegedly “discrediting the Republic of Belarus”, “incitement to racial, national, religious, or other social hostility or discord” and “defaming” and “insulting the President…

Less than a week after the publication of our joint appeal to the EU to take urgent EU-wide measures, such as stricter regulation of spyware exports and use, new spyware abuse scandal erupts in Serbia: Serbian intelligence services and police have used spyware and other digital tools to hack the phones of journalists and illegally surveil them, Amnesty International said in a report published on Monday. According to this very documented report, mobile forensic products made by Israeli firm Cellebrite are being used by authorities in Serbia to extract data from journalists and activists’ phones, while new Serbian spyware “NoviSpy”…

The Danish Union of Journalists (DJ) website is no longer visible from Google’s search results for 1% of Danish users as part of a “time-limited test” by Google. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) urges Google to reconsider this “experiment” and restores the visibility of DJ’s and Danish news websites in its search results. The experiment was announced on 14 November and consists of hiding traditional news websites from 1% of users in 8 countries: Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Croatia, Poland and Spain. While a French court ruled the experiment illegal after a complaint from the French…

On 10 December 2024, more than 90 participants discussed via Zoom the development of cooperation between self-regulation and co-regulation bodies in Ukraine, as well as media self-regulation practices in Belgium’s French- and German-speaking regions. They also heard from members of working groups focused on joint responses in the audiovisual, audio, online, and print media sectors. The event brought together representatives from the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting, the European Federation of Journalists, and journalists from Ukraine and Europe. The conference featured opening remarks by Ricardo Gutiérrez, Secretary General of the European Federation of Journalists, and Olena Nitsko,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) stands in solidarity with the workers of Galicia’s public radio and television (CRTVG), who have been on indefinite strike since 7 October against the dismantling of the public service and attempts to punish and coerce workers who exercise their free right to strike. Today, the strike is temporarily suspended after more than thirty days, which has paralysed the broadcasting of the outsourced magazine ‘O Termómetro’, replacing the old programme ‘A Revista’, on the air for almost thirty years. The last programme of the 65 initially contracted will be broadcast, and the strike committee is…

Together with 10 press freedom organisations, the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) today sent an open letter to EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa, Roberta Metsola and Kaja Kallas, calling on the European Union to react to the critical press freedom situation in Georgia.   President of the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Council António Costa President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas   Dear President Ursula von der Leyen, Dear President António Costa, Dear President Roberta…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Centre for Democracy and Technology Europe (CDT Europe) as well as twelve civil society organisations, many of which are members of the Spyware Coordination Group, in urging the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union to prioritise action against spyware misuse. Poland will assume the rotating presidency in January 2025. This role, held by each EU member state for six months, allows the presiding country to set the Council’s agenda, chair meetings, and represent the Council in negotiations with other EU institutions. This makes the presidency a crucial opportunity to…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) in strongly condemning the brutal attack on Dario Topić, editor-in-chief of the local media portal Komarilos.com. The consortium calls for the perpetrator to be held accountable without delay, in line with the Croatian Penal Code which prescribes higher penalties for attacks on journalists.  On 4 December 2024, journalist Dario Topić was physically attacked in Osijek while investigating the City of Osijek’s refusal to renew Elektromodul’s parking concession license after 26 years. Invited by the co-owner and director of Elektromodul,  Damir Taslidžić,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists organisations in strongly condemning what appears to be a targeted, deliberate attack on journalists by state security forces during pro-EU protests triggered by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement that Georgia would halt its EU membership negotiations until the end of 2028. Violence against journalists is unacceptable. Georgian authorities have an obligation to ensure a safe and enabling environment for members of the press. We call on Georgian authorities to immediately cease the ongoing assault on independent and critical media. We stand in full support…

The proposed “agent of influence” bill under consideration by the Turkish Parliament poses a serious threat to fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, press freedom, and the public’s right to information. With vague language and harsh penalties, the bill risks being weaponized to silence dissent, treating government critics as spies and further undermining judicial independence. As Turkey moves away from democratic standards, the EU must act decisively by urging the withdrawal of this legislation, prioritising freedom of expression, and supporting civil society. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is a signatory of the following letter. December 10, 2024 Dear President…

The Flemish Journalists’ Association (VVJ) board of directors is concerned about the new framework agreements at the European media group Mediahuis, which has included a provision to enable the use of journalistic work for AI purposes. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliates in Belgium in denouncing a decision taken without consultation with the journalists and their representatives. In a letter to the publishers dated 28 November 2024, the VVJ denounced the following provisions of the agreement, which are detrimental to the rights of freelancers: Unclear provisions: The agreements do not specify which AI applications are concerned and…

As new players gain ground alongside professional journalists in the news industry, UNESCO published a global study entitled ‘Behind The Screens: Insights from Digital Content Creators’. The report provides interesting insights on the way digital content creators consider their work, and highlights their vulnerability to mis- and disinformation. Who are these “influencers”? In her report, the Author Dr. Louisa Ha defines digital content creators as “individuals who regularly post content online for public consumption and have more than 1,000 followers.” The people who participated in the survey across the five continents are under 35 and “have between 1,000 to 10,000…