Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Andreeva, a correspondent with the Poland-based independent broadcaster Belsat TV, has been sentenced on July 13 to eight years in prison for alleged treason charges. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) denounces this parody of justice and calls on the authorities in Belarus to stop harassing and prosecuting media workers, and release all journalists imprisoned for their work. On July 4, Andreeva’s trial on alleged treason charges started behind closed doors in the southeastern city of Homel. On July 13, the Homel Regional Court sentenced the journalist to eight years in prison on charges of treason against…

Media employers have to do more to fulfil their duty of care for journalists’ safety, especially freelance and female journalists who are more vulnerable, concluded in a safety workshop held by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ) in the Hilversum Media Park on 4 and 5 July.  The workshop, attended by more than 40 EFJ members, legal experts, journalists and media representatives, highlighted the increasing dangers to journalists, both physical and online, with little awareness from media employers of these threats and a flagrant lack of resources to ensure their safety. According to…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) have condemned moves by the Russian authorities to shut down the Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU). The EFJ and IFJ urge the Russian authorities to drop the lawsuit against JMWU and to end their crackdown on independent journalists and media outlets in Russia. On 5 July, the Moscow City Court notified JMWU that the Moscow prosecutor had filed a lawsuit to liquidate the journalists’ union. Pending judgment, the court decided on 4 July to order a suspension of the union’s activities. The preliminary hearing of the case is set for 13 July. JMWU…

On 9, July 2022, the Santiago de Compostela’s Journalists Association (APSC) inaugurated the International Press Centre of Galicia in the regional capital. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the inauguration of this meeting point for citizens and media professionals. Among many representatives from European media organisations and unions, including the IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger, the president of the Spanish Journalists Federation (FAPE), Miguel Ángel Noceda and the APSC president Luis Menéndez were present to lead the event. The newly created centre features a meeting room and a large office space for journalists. The APSC will run the different activities…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) shares the call made by its Ukrainian affiliates, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU) for the Ukrainian authorities to bring the media legislation in line with European standards of press freedom. The EFJ, NUJU and IMTUU welcome the decision of the European Union Heads of State and Government to grant Ukraine the status of an EU candidate country. The EFJ and its affiliates in Ukraine recall that this implies a thorough revision of the Ukrainian media legislation. The current draft media law, introduced…

The Middlesex University has recently published a set of Recommendation for supporting journalists’ well-being as part of the project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council “Journalists’ emotional labour in the era of social media”. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined in Spring 2022 a dozen of key stakeholders to exchange knowledge and discuss the ways in which journalists’ well-being could be supported to benefit their mental health and job satisfaction, as well as the quality of journalism. This work has led to the following five recommendations. “These recommendations, as agreed by the multi-stakeholder group, show that the…