Media freedom groups today condemned the legal action taken by the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, against the editor in chief of Aktuality.sk, Peter Bardy, as well Ringier Slovak Media, the publisher of the book, for the use of a photo of Fico on the cover of the book ‘Fico-Obsessed with Power,’ We call on the court to dismiss the case. Fico is claiming 100.000 euros from Bardy, and another 100.000 euros from the publisher as compensation for non-material damage caused by the choice of cover photo. Fico’s lawyers claim that Fico has the right to decide how his…

For the Georgian version, click here. The Mission of the Partner Organisations of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium concluded a fact-finding mission to Georgia. The aim of the mission was to collect information on Georgia’s implementation of its freedom of expression and freedom of the media commitments, including in relation to the ongoing election campaign. This statement presents interim findings of the mission. We, international press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists organisations, have just concluded a two day mission to Georgia. Before diving into the concrete findings…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) backs concerns expressed over the editorial independence of Italian public broadcaster RAI. The MFRR further insists that the appointment process of the new leadership must guarantee RAI’s political independence and enforce the highest standards of journalism. On 14 September, Rainews24, the news channel of Italy’s public broadcaster RAI, aired an almost four-minute monologue by Deputy PM Matteo Salvini of the Lega Party. In the video, he defends his actions, as former Minister of Interior, ahead of a court case where he is accused of kidnapping and neglect of duty for his decision to stop the docking of the…

The undersigned international press freedom, journalists and human rights organizations strongly condemn Georgia’s recently adopted Family Values Bill. This legislation imposes censorship on media by banning broadcasters from freely reporting on LGBT+ issues. The Georgian government must stop its legal attacks on press freedom and freedom of expression.  On 17 September, Georgia’s Parliament adopted the Family Values Bill in its third reading, with 84 MPs voting in favour. The Bill is part of a legislative package titled “On Family Values and the Protection of Minors,” which proposes amendments to 18 existing laws, including the Law on Freedom of Speech and…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium expresses serious concern over the persistent spoofing of legitimate European media outlets, most recently as part of a Russian disinformation campaign called “Doppelgänger”. Over the past two years, this disinformation campaign, initially discovered in 2022, continued to weigh in the political debate with so-called cybersquatting practices, through which Russian sources leased internet domains that cloned legitimate media websites, in order to spread false narratives that were massively shared on social media. On 4 September, a total of 32 manipulative websites with domains leased from American companies were identified by the US Department of…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium condemns the online intimidation of investigative journalists working for La Sexta TV by Daniel Esteve, CEO of the eviction company Desokupa. Esteve’s harassment and threats to reveal personal information put the journalists’ safety at great risk. We call on the Spanish authorities to take immediate action to protect them. The undersigned organizations are deeply concerned by the threats and intimidation targeting the investigative journalism team of Equipo de Investigación, a program on Spanish private TV channel La Sexta, by Daniel Esteve, CEO and owner of the eviction company Desokupa. Between 8-15 September, Esteve…