Today Minsk City Court sentenced the editor-in-chief of the TUT.by portal, Marina Zolotova, and general director Lyudmila Chekina to 12 years behind bars. TUT.by is the country’s largest independent news site, which was forced to shutter after historic demonstrations against Alexander Lukashenko. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliate the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) in condemning another shameful verdict. We demand their immediate release. The women faced a raft of charges including tax evasion and “incitement to hatred”. Due to the extreme secrecy of the proceedings, it was not known until the end what conditions were required…

This article was written by Belarusian journalists The well-known Belarusian journalist and public figure Pavel Mazheika was arrested on August 30, 2022. He was kidnapped just on the street near his house. The security forces detained him very brutally: they put a bag over his head and beat him. Not because he is a dangerous terrorist who poses a threat even with his hands behind his back in handcuffs. But because he is a journalist, and the violence of the security forces and torture in prison have become commonplace today in Belarus. Now Pavel is behind bars in the pre-trial…

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…

Today, 16 March 2023, marks 18 months since the adoption by the European Commission of its Recommendation to the Member States on ensuring the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists and other media professionals in the European Union. The European Commission is due to perform an evaluation based on key performance indicators, to take stock of the progress achieved by the Member States. In this context, the partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) call on the European Commission and the Member States to develop comprehensive and regular reporting mechanisms that involve all key stakeholders to effectively measure and…

Following the start of the retrial last week at the Court of Appeal for the 1999 murder of Serbian editor and publisher Slavko Ćuruvija, the undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) today renew our call for justice for his killing to finally be secured. The pending ruling – which will either confirm or dismiss the previous guilty verdicts handed down to four state security agents for carrying out and planning his assassination – will be the most consequential for media freedom and journalism in Serbia’s modern history. Coming nearly 24 years after…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) support the campaign #IcazəliMediaIstəmirik (#WeDoNotWantLicensedMedia) launched in February 2023 by a group of independent journalists in Azerbaijan. Journalists are calling on the government to repeal the new media law and remove the requirement for registration with the Media Registry, as it gives the State too much control over the media. On 30 January 2023, 37 Azerbaijani journalists and media experts published a statement according to which the Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency refused to include veteran media outlets in the Media Register and issued ‘warnings’ to dozens of media outlets and journalists. United…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) expressed its profound concern with the latest developments regarding the European anti-SLAPP Directive. Members of the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) have written to the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council about the worrying draft compromise proposal leaked on 6 March 2023. The Swedish Presidency’s compromise proposal is self-defeating, runs contrary to the purpose of the anti-SLAPP Directive and undermines its spirit. It fails to meet the expectations of the European Parliament, the European Union’s most important democratic body. We call on national governments to act now to ensure that the Council of the EU…

The Steering Committee of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) meeting in Brussels on Monday joined its British affiliate, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), in denouncing the suspension of commentator Gary Lineker. The EFJ also expressed its support to the BBC local staff preparing to strike on Wednesday and Thursday over cuts to local radio. The BBC announced on Monday that Gary Lineker is to return to presenting sport on the BBC after he was taken off air for criticising on Twitter the language used by ministers when discussing the government’s asylum policy. “We note the apology from BBC…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) condemns the decision of the Italian prosecutor to issue a seizure order for Domani’s investigative article, following a criminal complaint by the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the current government. Italian press freedom is seriously threatened by yet another attempt by a member of the current government to silence independent journalism. The undersigned media freedom and civil society organisations strongly condemn the decision of the Italian prosecutor to issue a seizure order for Domani’s investigative article, following a criminal complaint by Claudio Durigon, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labour and…

The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), laureate of the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize, has been labeled an ‘extremist group’ by Alyaksandr Lukashenko’s regime, in an obvious act of obstruction to the freedom of the press. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) brings its full support to the association and its members. The Belarusian KGB’s decision, issued on 28 February 2023 and made public this week on 7 March 2023, means that anyone that has taken part in BAJ’s activities could face up to 10 years in prison, according to the country’s Criminal code. The security services stated that BAJ president…

The Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists, with the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) and other partner organisations, launched in Brussels on 7 March the 2023 Annual Report: ‘War in Europe and the Fight for the Right to Report‘. The report discusses the impact of the war in Ukraine, and the need for robust and independent journalism. It highlights the need for Member States to harmonise their legislations, and the danger of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), as well as the case of Belarus, impunity, detentions of journalists and…

Ahead of the 8th of March, the EFJ warns that the safety of women journalists is under threat in many countries. International Women’s Day commemorates the defence of all women’s rights and in particular the rights of women at work, whether paid or unpaid. Women journalists are also workers facing various discriminations such as the pay gap, the glass ceiling, difficulties in balancing professional and private life, and gender-based violence at work, to add to the increasingly precarious working conditions. It is time to put an end to these inequalities, to stereotypical reporting on women in the media and to…

On 7 March 2023, the Partner Organisations of the Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, including the European and International Federations of Journalist (EFJ/IFJ), publish their 2023 annual report under the title “War in Europe and the fight for the right to report”. The report reveals a continued degradation of press freedom across the continent. Throughout 2022, the Platform documented 289 alerts concerning 37 countries, with journalists being murdered, imprisoned, physically attacked, legally harassed, and subjected to smear campaigns. The annual report has cast doubt on Member States’ commitment to upholding obligations on freedom of expression,…

On Tuesday 7 March 2023 the Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, with the participation of partner organisations including the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ), will launch its report “War in Europe and the Fight for the Right to Report” at the Brussels Press Club in Belgium. The annual report highlights key areas of law, policy and practices affecting media freedom and safety of journalists in Europe and identifies actions required to improve effective protection of journalists. With the participation of: Sarah Clarke, Head of the Europe and Central Asia team, Article 19 Nicola…

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…

More than a hundred works councils, union sections and RLTs, convened by the Spanish journalists’ unions CCOO, UGT and FeSP, will take to the streets on 1 March 2023 to demand decent wages and working conditions. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) expresses its support for the Spanish journalists’ unions and the striking journalists.   For the first time, the works councils of Vocento, Unidad Editorial, Prisa and Promecal have joined forces to demand that the management of the daily press sector meet to negotiate pay rises for all staff of their newspapers, magazines and all the companies involved. This…