The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and the undersigned press freedom and free expression organisations in expressing our firm support for our colleague Massimo Moratti, the Senior Research Affiliate for the Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), as he faces expulsion from Serbia in apparent connection with his human rights work. We urge Serbian authorities to immediately withdraw the expulsion order and allow our colleague to remain in the country with his family and continue his work. On 4 September, Serbian authorities denied Moratti’s request for temporary residence on grounds of “unacceptable security…

Today, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law (FRRL) Group hearing dedicated to the topic of online harassment of women. This provided the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) with an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of tackling online harassment of women journalists as a professional risk issue. “Online attacks do not remain confined to the screen. We have been monitoring several incidents that have escalated offline, putting women journalists at serious risk and requiring a timely response and safety measures. Unfortunately, online harassment is difficult to tackle as threats are under-reported and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in viewing the upcoming state elections in Saxony-Anhalt with great concern. On 6 September, a decision will also be made on press freedom and the future of the public service broadcaster Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR). The Alternative for Germany (AfD), classified as far-right extremist in Saxony-Anhalt, is leading in the polls. In its 100-day programme, the party promises that its ‘first official act’ in government will be the immediate termination of the Interstate Broadcasting Agreements (Rundfunkstaatsverträge). This promise threatens the very existence of public broadcaster Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk…

The European federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners today in lamenting the failure to convict the alleged mastermind in the trial for the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and hope that the demoralising verdict will swiftly be overturned on appeal. On 2 September, powerful Maltese business tycoon Yorgen Fenech was cleared by a jury of any involvement in the journalist’s 2017 car-bomb assassination, leaving the case in a state of partial impunity. The jury in the Maltese capital Valletta reached its decision on the first day after just eight hours of…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) project, stands in full solidarity with the French regional daily newspaper Nice-Matin, which is currently facing a defamation lawsuit filed by Renaud Muselier, the president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional council. The EFJ is calling on Renaud Muselier to drop the defamation lawsuit, failing that, it calls on the court to dismiss the case which we consider to be abusive, in retaliation to quality public-interest reporting. The EFJ also strongly condemns  the deeply concerning incident that occurred a few days ago, in which Ugo Massi,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) project, joins its Albanian affiliate, the Association of Journalists of Albania (AGSH), in raising concerns over the new internal Regulation of the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO) which introduces significant restrictions on journalists’ access to and reporting from court proceedings. The regulation which deviates clearly from the 2023 High Judicial Council Guidelines on relations between courts, the public and the media was secretly adopted without any prior consultation. We call on the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime to immediately postpone…