For six years, the media professionals working for the Dutch news portal NU.nl have been facing continuous harassment, including aggressive messages and death threats. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliate, the Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ) in standing in full solidarity with the threatened media workers and calling on the Dutch authorities to prosecute the perpetrators. Since 2018, NU.nl has received regular criticism of its content via email. These were all sent by a man who became increasingly aggressive over time. His messages changed in tone to include swearing and, more recently, death threats. Recent chilling messages…

A new report by MFRR and CoE Platform partners highlights rising threats to press freedom and journalist safety amid increasing polarisation and fear before the 2024 election in Georgia. On 1-2 October, the partner organisations of the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists and of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), including ARTICLE 19 Europe, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Index on Censorship, the International Press Institute (IPI), the Justice for Journalists Foundation, and Reporters Without Borders…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in strongly condemning the numerous judicial decisions aimed at preventing the publication of information by four Belgian media outlets. The return of preventive censorship, which the Belgian Constitution prohibits, marks an alarming deterioration of press freedom in Belgium.  On 10 October, the President of the Court of First Instance in Liège issued a “suspension order” to prevent the publication of an article of public interest in the daily newspaper Le Soir. The censored article concerned the legal consequences of an investigation into tax offences involving Maxime…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), along with 60 undersigned press freedom and freedom of expression groups, media outlets, and civil society organizations, condemns the official revocation of the terrestrial broadcasting license of independent radio station Açık Radyo by Turkey’s broadcast regulator, RTÜK (Radio and Television Supreme Council). This action marks a severe blow to independent radio broadcasting in Turkey, silencing a platform known for promoting diverse, critical voices and addressing issues of profound public interest. Açık Radyo, an independent and non-profit media organisation founded in 1995, has long been a vital source of free expression in Turkey. Over the past three decades,…

On the eve of the seventh anniversary of the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and ten other journalist and freedom of expression organizations wrote to Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela calling on his government to speed up reforms to create a safer environment for the media community in Malta. The groups called on Abela, after years of delay, to finally deliver on the recommendations of a public inquiry into her murder, which concluded in 2021 that the state had created an “atmosphere of impunity” and failed to take…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and partner organisations today mourn the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who died in unclear circumstances while in Russian detention, and whose death was confirmed by Russian and Ukrainian authorities on Thursday. We welcome the opening of an investigation by Ukrainian authorities on the grounds of “war crime combined with premeditated murder” and demand that Russian authorities do the same to elucidate the circumstances of Roshchyna’s death and bring to justice all those who could be responsible. Roshchyna, a freelance journalist with Ukrainska Pravda, a major Ukrainian publication, and several other leading Ukrainian…