To mark the 24th anniversary of the murder of Serbian editor and publisher Slavko Ćuruvija, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and international press freedom organisations are today visiting Belgrade to renew our calls for justice and issue fresh warnings about the current climate for the safety of journalists. The mission to Belgrade comes 24 years after Ćuruvija was shot dead in cold blood outside his apartment on 11 April 1999, and a matter of weeks after the final hearings began in the retrial of four state security officials accused of planning and executing…

Legal intimidation and SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are attempts to intimidate and silence public watchdogs through lengthy and expensive litigation proceedings by starting meritless lawsuits. These threats mostly target civil society actors participating in public debates, including human rights advocates, whistle-blowers, climate activists and even academics more broadly. Under the pretext of seeking justice or protecting their rights, those who start these actions only seek to drain them from their resources (time and money) and force them to self-censor. These abusive tactics have become a very effective way to repress dissent and limit the public’s access to truthful…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today 16 March 2023 joined media freedom organisations in writing to the Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela urging his government to implement recommendations from the recent public consultation into draft media laws and to strengthen the planned legislation in line with international standards. Read the full letter below Dear Prime Minister Robert Abela, The undersigned international press freedom and journalists organisations are today writing to urge your government to follow up on the recent public consultation into media law reforms by implementing changes which will significantly strengthen the draft legislation. As the monthly memorial…

In January 2023, Swedish business and finance publication Realtid confirmed that they had reached a settlement with businessman Svante Kumlin over a legal action Kumlin had taken as a result of articles published in late 2020. Under the terms of the settlement, while Kumlin will pay part of Realtid’s legal fees, Realtid is obliged to share a clarification and apology on its website on three of its articles about Kumlin and his company Eco Energy World (EEW). The settlement comes more than two years after the legal action against Realtid and their journalists was initiated, and seven months after a…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), alongside 50 journalists, press freedom organisations, European trade unions, civil society and digital rights groups, is calling on the Members of the European Parliament to start their crucial work as co-legislators for a strengthened European Media Freedom Act. Captured media markets increasingly hinder media freedom and pluralism, the precondition of a stable democracy and the rule of law. We are calling on Members of the European Parliament to engage constructively in this vital debate to ensure that the EMFA becomes a strong, coherent regulation establishing harmonised legal safeguards across Europe. We sent them the following letter: Dear…

The New York Times – Critics say a new media law signed by Zelensky could restrict press freedom in Ukraine (30.12.2022) The Kyiv Independent – Zelensky signs media law criticized by journalist groups as authoritarian (30.12.2022) Politico – Europe troubled but powerless over Twitter’s journalist ban (16.12.2022) EBU Video Talks: Watch Ricardo Gutiérrez, EFJ General Secretary, talking about the safety of journalists in Ukraine (14.12.2022) France24 – L’interdiction des médias russes par l’UE, “un dangereux précédent” (09.12.2022) La Croix – À Bruxelles, des Assises pour partager les « valeurs communes du journalisme » (25.11.2022) Euractiv – European Federation of Journalists chief slams press…

Members of the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), with the support of the coalition’s Italian group and Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), express solidarity with Roberto Saviano who attended the first hearing in the proceedings for aggravated defamation initiated against him by current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. We are seriously concerned about the criminal proceedings initiated in 2021 by the current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Fratelli d’Italia. Under the current provisions on defamation, Roberto Saviano risks imprisonment for his criticism of Meloni during a TV programme. Such accusations act as a gag on freedom of expression,…

Today is the UN International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, #EndImpunity. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to demand governments put an end to impunity and to highlight and denounce crimes targeting journalists that remain unpunished while the masterminds walk free. On this day, the EFJ reminds that all those who commit crimes against journalists must face justice, as such unpunished crimes have a strong chilling effect on media freedom. The Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism records 26 impunity alerts involving 40 journalists: 14 in Kosovo,…

On the occasion of the first European Anti-SLAPP Conference on 20 October 2022, the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), of which the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is a member, adopted a declaration calling on governments across Europe to take immediate legislative and practical action to protect journalists and other public watchdogs from the growing threat of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The first European Anti-SLAPP conference took place in Strasbourg (France) and was opened by Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the European Commission, Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council…

The EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez took part in a four-day international mission to Malta to commemorate the brutal murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia just five years ago on 16 October 2017. He gives a bitter testimony, considering the guilty passivity of the Maltese authorities. I was in Malta to pay tribute to the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, murdered just five years ago. On Friday, I attended the trial that resulted in the conviction of the two henchmen who killed her. I attended the silent gathering on Sunday at the site where her car bomb exploded. I shouted…

In a letter to the Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela, the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) denounced “disappointing” and “weak” proposals in the media protection reform presented on 28 September 2022. For several months, the IGM and civil society groups have been urging the government to be transparent in the drafting process and openly consult the public before submitting any bill to the parliament. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) backs the IGM’s demands to withdraw the media bills until formal public consultation is launched. In the letter sent on 10 October 2022, the IGM indicated that it does not support…

A number of journalists and civil society groups have urged the Maltese government to launch a public consultation on the media law reform. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliate the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) in urging the government to be transparent in the drafting process and openly consult the public before submitting any bill to parliament. A committee of experts, of which IGM is a member, was appointed by the Maltese government and concluded the first part of its remit on 1 June. Its role consisted in providing feedback to a number of laws…

The right of citizens to be informed about matters of public interest and of journalists to write freely about them cannot and must not be hindered by SLAPPs. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined civil society’s appeal to the future parliament to promote measures to contrast strategic lawsuits. SLAPPs (Strategic lawsuits against public participation) aim at silencing journalists, activists, whistleblowers, and anyone who sheds light on matters of public interest. SLAPPs are a true violation of the right of citizens to be informed and freedom of expression. SLAPPs also pose serious restrictions on democratic participation as they deprive the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joins the undersigned journalists’, media freedom, and human rights organisations in welcoming the European Commission’s initiative to strengthen the free and pluralistic media system and the commitment to protect journalists and editorial independence within the European Union. The EFJ and media freedom groups also stress need for improvements. These values directly link to fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression, the right to access to information, the formation of opinion, and making informed choices in elections, as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Matters relating to the media have traditionally been the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined media freedom organisations in expressing concerns at the lack of implementation of the recommendations of the milestone Public Inquiry into the assassination of Malta’s leading investigative journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia. On the first anniversary of the Public Inquiry report’s publication, we urge the Maltese authorities to comply with their international human rights obligations and implement the recommendations without further delay to ensure effective protection of journalists going forward. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the publication of the landmark Public Inquiry report into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, which was found to…

Update (30 June 2022): On 30 June 2022, we were informed by the author of this blog that the plaintiff/civil party has lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) against the Antwerp CA judgment of 9 June 2022. —————– This article was previously published by the “Leuven Blog for Public Law”. It is reproduced with the permission of the author, Dirk Voorhoof, who is emeritus professor at the Human Rights Centre UGent, founding member of the Legal Human Academy and member of the expert committee of the Council of Europe on SLAPPs (MSI-SLP). When Belgian news site Apache‘s chief editor Karl…