Five years after the murder of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kušnírová, EFJ President Maja Sever traveled to Bratislava on 20-21 February 2023 with a delegation of international media freedom organisations. They took an active part in the commemorative events, met with Jan’s and Martina’s relatives, Slovak journalists and state authorities. In this testimony, Maja Sever looks back on these two days with a moving personal account. On the kitchen table, investigators found cups of tea, coffee and an open laptop on which Martina Kušnirova was looking at wedding dresses. Her body was found on the kitchen…

In July 2023, the European Commission will publish its annual rule of law report. The significant challenges to the rule of law within the Union in the past year are both old and new. While issues such as the non-implementation of court decisions, the shrinking of civic space in the EU and the restriction of freedom of expression across the EU have featured in previous joint civil society statements, the new coverage in country chapters and the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape have generated new horizontal concerns. Compliance with and respect for the rule of law in the EU are crucial…

Five years after the assassination of Já​​n Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová, Slovak judges are nearing their judgment in the retrial of the alleged mastermind of the murder of Aktuality.sk’s journalist and his fiancée. While the hitmen and an intermediary of the February 2018 killing have already been convicted to long prison sentences, suspect Marián Kočner, charged with ordering the crime, was acquitted. With the retrial verdict expected in April 2023, our organisations renew our call for full justice for the double murder. The undersigned organisations conducted a fact-finding and advocacy mission in the country to express their support to the…

Two Italian journalists, Andrea Sceresini and Alfredo Bosco, had their press accreditation withdrawn on 6 February 2023 while reporting for the public broadcaster Rai3 in Ukraine. Since then, they have been unable to work, awaiting interrogation by the Ukrainian security service (SBU). The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Italian affiliate, the FNSI, in calling on the Ukrainian authorities to let the journalists continue their reporting by granting them new accreditation as soon as possible. In a letter published in Il Fatto Quotidiano,the two freelance reporters wrote that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence had notified them of the suspension of…

Two weeks after the terrible earthquake that shook Northern Syria and Eastern Turkey, Kenan Şener, Secretary General of the Ankara Journalists Association (GCD), describes the dire humanitarian situation for the inhabitants and the local journalists who are trying to tell their stories despite everything. Şener recounts the daily grind of journalists reporting on the ground, as well as how the Association is responding to their urgent needs, and preparing for a long crisis. What are the main issues journalists are facing in the field? The protection of journalists’ rights and freedoms has become more difficult due to the declaration of a…

French weekly Le Poher had to evacuate its office on 20 February 2023 after an anonymous caller said a bomb had been placed in the office in Carhaix, France. Although no explosive device was found, this incident comes on top of several serious acts of intimidation targeting Le Poher in recent weeks. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the French journalists’ unions SNJ, SNJ-CGT, and CFDT-Journalistes in expressing solidarity with the six employees, and denouncing the deleterious effects of these repeated attacks on the regional independent newspaper and its journalists. The bomb threat is the latest of a series…

Trade union representatives from 10 European countries attended the 1.5-day training in Stockholm, Sweden, on 15 and 16 February 2023 as part of the “Safety for Journalists” project. The panel discussions and training focused on online harassment, the duty of care of employers, and physical safety. The goal was to highlight good practices and find ways to involve emlployers towards employees and the role of large social media platforms. The session opened with Maja Sever, president of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND). She stated the project aims to develop a universal risk assessment model through…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined today the partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in expressing solidarity with Emilia Sercan and urging the end of coordinated attacks on the journalist. Today, 17 February 2023, marks one year since journalist Emilia Șercan filed a police complaint about cybercrime and violation of privacy after she discovered five stolen personal pictures taken about twenty years ago had been published on 34 porn websites. The next day, Șercan found that a Moldovan website had published an article containing the five stolen pictures and a Facebook Messenger screenshot she had provided…

Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Sergiy Tomilenko, president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), looks back on a year of relentless work, in which NUJU has supported journalists on the ground and assesses the challenges they face as the war enters its second year. In this interview with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Sergiy Tomilenko highlights the crucial role of the Solidarity Centers in ensuring that local and international media can report on the conflict, and the imperative need for more funds to continue supporting Ukrainian journalists.…

Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko has been jailed for six years for posting on Telegram about a deadly attack by Russian warplanes on a theatre in Ukraine. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) denounce this fierce repression of freedom of expression in Russia and demand the immediate release of the journalist. Maria Ponomarenko, 44, a correspondent of the RusNews channel on Youtube, was sentenced to six years in prison for comments critical of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine, officials said, as part of an ongoing crackdown on dissent. The verdict is the latest in a series of high-profile rulings under new…

On 24 February 2023, it will be one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) are launching a new fundraising campaign to support Ukrainian journalists on the ground. On this occasion, the International Federation of Journalists interviewed Xhemajl Rexha, president of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK), about the work carried through their program “Journalists in Residence – Kosovo” with the Government of Kosovo and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECMPF) in collaboration with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), as they are welcoming Ukrainian journalists by providing them with…

Between 20 and 21 February 2023, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will join a delegation of international media freedom organisations in conducting a joint mission to Bratislava to mark the five-year anniversary of the killing of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. The aim of the mission is twofold. Firstly, to take part in the anniversary events and express solidarity with the families and the Slovak journalistic community as the retrial of the alleged mastermind at the Specialised Criminal Court reaches its final stage. Secondly, five years after the assassination, to evaluate the security of…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined today the partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium in expressing our condolences with the victims of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and reiterating the need for a free media atmosphere as a crucial element of all disaster relief processes. In the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes with epicentre in the province of Kahramanmaraş in Turkey on Monday 6 February 2023, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners have received multiple reports of press and media freedom violations including detentions of journalists and media workers, investigations for incitement to hatred in…

Mortaza Behboudi, a French-Afghan journalist living in France, was arrested on 7 January in Kabul, two days after arriving in Afghanistan, as he was about to collect his press accreditation. He is still being held in Afghanistan. The French journalists’ unions SNJ, SNJ-CGT, CFDT-Journalistes, SGJ-FO, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) join the appeal launched by 15 French media and production companies as well as several French associations and institutions demanding the release of Mortaza Behboudi, who is arbitrarily detained by the Afghan authorities. The SNJ, SNJ-CGT, CFDT-Journalistes and SGJ-FO – members of…

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…

Update (10/02/2023) The Executive Board of the Polish Journalists Association (SDP) issued a statement condemning the verdict and calling on Belarusian authorities to release the journalist. Full SDP statement here. Update (17/02/2023) The Society of Journalists (TD) issued a statement on the case of journalists currently imprisoned in Belarus. They demand the immediate release of journalist Andrzej Poczobut. Full TD statement here. ————————— Hrodna Regional Court sentenced Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut to eight years in prison, on 8 February 2023. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) joined their affiliate the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) in condemning a political…