MFRR calls on EU countries to protect Hungarian Journalists…

MFRR calls on EU countries to protect Hungarian Journalists in Europe from state monitoring

Last month MFRR partners reached out to EU countries calling on them to respond to allegations that the Hungarian authorities were monitoring the actions and movements of Hungarian journalists and media workers in Europe through local embassies

On 25 September 2020, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) wrote to the EU countries’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs to express our deep concern about a letter sent by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to Hungarian embassies in EU member states, instructing them to monitor the activities of Hungarian journalists in their host countries and share all information relating to work trips, training courses or study visits with the Hungarian Government.

We believe this request interferes with the ability of Hungarian journalists and media workers to work free from intimidation or undue state surveillance, while also threatening to turn other EU Member States into the next stage for the Hungarian Government’s attacks on media freedom that have so damaged the rule of law in the country itself. Accordingly, we urged the other EU countries to interpellate the Hungarian ambassador, in order to ensure Hungarian journalists and media workers in their country were afforded all rights and protections and to refer back to the Hungarian Government any attempts to expand surveillance and intimidation of journalists on foreign soil.

We regret that to date, we have received no response to our letter or seen any public condemnation of the Hungarian government’s request by the other EU Member States.

Library

MFRR partners and media freedom organisations condemn conviction of…

Montenegro: journalism is not a crime

The Media Freedom Rapid Response partners and media freedom organisations strongly condemn the decision by the High Court of Montenegro to sentence investigative journalist Jovo Martinovic to one year in prison for participating in drug trafficking.

Jovo Martinovic’s conviction is a gross injustice, following almost five years of judicial persecution merely for doing his job. Beyond the violation of Martinovic’s human rights, his prosecution and conviction moreover contribute to a chilling effect on media freedom in Montenegro and raise serious concerns about the effectiveness of the rule of law in the country, a key condition for accession to the European Union. Questions remain as to the court’s readiness to take into consideration evidence from the defence or establish an understanding of the journalistic practices that readily explain Martinovic’s actions.

Library

Podcast launch: Aftermath of the Ján Kuciak verdict

IPI Podcast launch: Aftermath of the Ján Kuciak verdict

The first episode of IPI’s podcast series ‘Press Freedom Files’ looks at the impact of the Ján Kuciak case on media freedom in Slovakia

After the surprise acquittal of the alleged mastermind in the 2018 murder of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, what are the next steps in the fight for justice?

The International Press Institute (IPI) launches today its new podcast series on global press freedom developments, “The Press Freedom Files”. The series’s first episode focuses on the aftermath of the Kuciak verdict on September 3.

Guests Beata Balogová, editor-in-chief of the leading Slovak daily SME, and Pavla Holcová of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) join IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen, who observed the trial proceedings, to analyse the impact of the court’s decision, public trust in the Slovak justice system and whether impunity in the case can be prevented.

“I don’t think society will accept a situation in which the mastermind of the Kuciak murder escapes punishment”, Balogová says.

LISTEN HERE

Library

Covid-19 intensifies challenges for freelance journalists in Italy

Part of IPI’s series, Europe media freedom in the shadow of Covid, Gabriele Cruciata analyses how the pandemic has created a perfect storm for struggling independent reporters in Italy

IPI correspondent Gabriele Cruciata explores and analyses the seen and unseen impact of COVID-19 on an already struggling industry and what it means for the long term health of Italy’s media environment

Library

ECPMF urges action upon publication of the first EU…

ECPMF urges action upon publication of the first EU Annual Rule of Law Report

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response, welcomes the publication of the first EU Annual Rule of Law Report, and we appreciate that a number of the concerns we raised in the preparatory phase have been taken into account.

In April 2020, together with other civil society organisations, the ECPMF and several other MFRR partners provided recommendations for safeguarding media freedom and pluralism through the European Rule of Law Mechanism, including specific recommendations for the Annual Rule of Law Report. Among other things, we underlined the importance of the Report covering the wide range of challenges faced by journalists and the media sector. This includes assessments of transparency of ownership and government interference; whether the environment is conducive to an independent and pluralistic media landscape, online and offline; and, the framework for the protection of journalists and media workers.

Library

ECPMF condemns insults against Nello Scavo outside the courthouse

Harassment of journalists needs to stop especially when they are in court following being threatened online

ECPMF condemns the insults faced by Italian journalist Nello Scavo as he left the court in Valletta. Scavo was testifying in the criminal case against Neville Gafà, who had threatened him online. Upon leaving the hearing, Scavo and Maltese blogger Manuel Delia were insulted with vulgar epithets shouted in Italian by a crowd of people who had amassed in apparent support of Gafà.

Photo: Alessandra Dee Crespo for Repubblika

Library

Slovenian investigative news outlet Necenzurirano hit with 39 SLAPP…

Slovenian investigative news outlet Necenzurirano hit with 39 SLAPP lawsuits

MFRR partners and leading press freedom organisations condemning brazen defamation cases against Slovenian media outlet

MFRR partners and 11 press freedom organisations express our grave concern over the barrage of vexatious defamation lawsuits targeting journalists working for the investigative news website Necenzurirano in Slovenia over the last two months.

Since August journalists Primož Cirman, Vesna Vukovic and Tomaž Modic have each had 13 different criminal lawsuits lodged against them by Rok Snežić, a tax expert and unofficial financial advisor to Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, bringing the total so far to 39.

The lawsuits target the journalists’ joint reporting over the last three years on Snežić’s business dealings and alleged involvement in an illegal loan to Janša’s ruling SDS party. The reporting was published in siol.net and then necenzurirano.si, the portal the three journalists founded in January 2020.

Library

Police violence and press restrictions raise further red flags…

Police violence and press restrictions raise further red flags in Bulgaria

MFRR partners send a letter to the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Interior Minister and the Speaker of the National Assembly following a number of alarming developments facing journalists and media workers in the country.

The letter, sent to the Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Interior Minister Hristo Terziyski and the Speaker of the National Assembly Tsveta Karayancheva, condemned recent police violence and intimidation towards journalists and media workers reporting on recent anti-government protests.

It also raised concerns over the recent police questioning of a journalist and the recent implementation of a restrictive new system for press access inside the new Bulgarian Parliament building, calling for action to be taken to investigate allegations and increase transparency.

UPDATE. On 28 September, Associate Professor Dr Diana Kovatcheva, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria responded to the MFRR, confirming that she has submitted a recommendation to the Speaker of the National Assembly to provide a guarantee that journalists have complete access to the Parliament. As well as this, she has called on the Minister of Interior to carry out a “thorough, impartial and effective investigation into the allegations of police violence”. Read the response below.

OMBUDSMAN RESPONSE

Library

MFRR expresses concern over recent attacks on journalists and…

MFRR partners express concern over recent attacks on journalists and media workers in North Macedonia

MFRR partners send a letter to Prime Minister Zaev highlighting a number of threats to journalists and media workers that need to be addressed to ensure that media freedom is protected across the country

At the start of Zoran Zaev’s new term as Prime Minister of North Macedonia, the MFRR highlights six cases of harassment, intimidation and physical attacks aimed at journalists and media workers that require immediate and urgent attention by the state to ensure North Macedonia lives up to its commitments to press freedom.

UPDATE: On 29 September the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia responded to the letter reiterating the government’s commitment to press freedom. Read the response below

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Library

In Hungary a government rattled by the pandemic finds…

In Hungary a government rattled by the pandemic finds new ways to suppress independent media

Part of IPI’s series, Europe media freedom in the shadow of Covid, authored by IPI correspondents across Europe

IPI correspondent, Marton Bede charts the enduring decline in media freedom, pluralism and independence in Hungary and what the recent blocked license renewal of Klubrádió means for independent media outlets across the country.