On Labour Day 2024, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is calling on a broad alliance of civil society – readers and listeners, journalists’ organisations and associations, academics, and media freedom NGOs – to stand up for journalism and convince employers and decision makers that the protection of journalists and journalism is essential to democracy. “Europe’s information ecosystem is at a crossroads. Misinformation and filter bubbles, oligarchic media capture and unprecedented attacks on journalists amid their subjection to precarious working conditions — all are leading to a brain drain from the industry. This could have a devastating impact on the…

This International Workers’ Day, all eyes are on Europe. As we celebrate the bonds of friendship between workers and the collective power we have through our trade unions and associations, we also look ahead to the EU elections. At a time when journalists and media workers are coming under increasing pressure and becoming more and more precarious, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in calling on workers to mobilise, at the ballot box, against political forces hostile to freedom and labour rights. As specified in the Council of Europe Recommendation on the protection…

Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin are the latest journalists to be arrested in Russia for “extremism” following their alleged work with Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). Both journalists have worked for international media, such as Reuters for Gabov and Deutsche Welle and Associated Press for Karelin. While denied the charges, they will face up to six years in prison if convicted. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) demand the immediate release of the journalists and reiterate the condemnation of the Russian authorities’ continued crackdown on independent journalists. On 27 March 2024, Sergei Karelin, who has dual Russian and Israeli citizenship,…

Journalist Sergei Mingazov from the Russian edition of Forbes magazine was charged with spreading “false” information about Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine, on 26 April 2024. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) denounces the accusations against Mingazov, a member of the Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU), an EFJ affiliate, and once again condemns the continued crackdown on independent journalists by the Russian authorities. A court in Khabarovsk today placed Mingazov under house arrest for two months for “reposting about the events in Bucha” on the Telegram channel Khabarovsk Mingazeta. Bucha is the Kyiv suburb where Russian troops have been accused…

On 25 April, the Ankara public prosecutor’s office requested the conviction of 11 journalists from the Mesopotamya News Agency (MA) for alleged ‘membership in a terrorist organisation’. The case comes just as the Journalists’ Association of Turkey (GCD) is publishing its annual report on press freedom in Turkey. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), present in Ankara, joins its Turkish affiliates GCD, TGS and DISK Basin-Is in denouncing the intensification of pressure on journalists by the Turkish government. The EFJ condemns this climate of terror aimed at imposing widespread self-censorship. The 2023 report published by GCD, as part of the European ‘Media…

On the night of 22-23 April 2024, the Belgian federal police searched the premises of the building of the Kurdish television channels Stêrk TV and Medya Haber (Medya News) in Denderleeuw, Flanders. The police operation was conducted as part of a European Investigation Order (EPO) on terrorist financing. The news channels reported serious material damage and equipment seizure. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Belgian affiliate, the Flemish Association of Journalists (VVJ), in strongly condemning the show of force that accompanied the search and urged authorities to guarantee that the confidentiality of journalists’ sources is respected. The search…