Jailed for dissent: Georgian journalists and writers under crackdown

Jailed for dissent

Georgian journalists and writers under crackdown

Friday, 12 December 2025 at 11:00 am CEST.

On August 6, 2025, after more than 200 days of unjust pretrial detention and a highly politicized trial, Georgian journalist and Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli was sentenced to two years in prison, as the world watched and protesters gathered outside a courtroom in Batumi, Georgia. She is the first female journalist to be imprisoned in Georgia’s 34 years of independence.

Mzia is being targeted and punished for her decades-long work and dedication to independent reporting that exposes corruption, political repression, and human rights violations.

She is the first female journalist imprisoned in Georgia since the fall of the Soviet Union. Georgia now has over 60 political prisoners, most of them jailed during the wave of protests that erupted after the October 28, 2024, elections and the ruling party’s subsequent announcement about halting EU integration.

Since October 28, Mapping Media Freedom recorded 117 attacks on media freedom involving 312 journalists. Among them 31 journalists have been subjected to arbitrary and unjust arrests.

Among those jailed for dissent is Zviad Ratiani, renowned Georgian poet sentenced to two years in prison under grossly disproportionate charges of assaulting a police officer.

The ruling Georgian Dream party is entrenching authoritarian rule not only through elections, but also through the systematic capture of the judiciary, turning it into a tool for stifling dissent and protecting those in power.

To mark the International Human Rights Day on December 10 and the awarding of Mzia Amaglobeli with the Sakharov Prize on December 16, MFRR is shining a spotlight on Georgia – a country once regarded as a beacon of democracy in the South Caucasus, now moving closer each day toward fully consolidated authoritarianism.

We will examine the attacks on media freedom, independent journalism and freedom of expression in Georgia, explore how those jailed for speaking out can be supported by the international community, and the ways to reverse the country’s authoritarian drift.

This webinar is organised in partnership with PEN International, joining efforts to defend free expression and support Georgian journalists targeted for dissent.

Speakers

Irma Dimitradze

Communications Manager and Journalist at Batumelebi and Netgazeti

Khatuna Tskhadadze

PEN Georgia President

Kety Abashidze

Senior Human Rights Officer at Human Rights House Foundation

Moderator

Teona Sekhniashvili

Europe Advocacy Officer at the International Press Institute (IPI)

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Open letter to Croatian Prime Minister Plenković: MFRR raises…

Open letter to Croatian Prime Minister Plenković: MFRR raises alarm over unlawful political pressure against weekly Novosti

Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium, expresses grave concern regarding recent statements by the Homeland Movement that targeted the weekly newspaper Novosti, the only print media for the Serb minority in Croatia.

05.12.2025

Dear Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković,

We, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium, express our grave concern regarding recent statements by the Homeland Movement that targeted the weekly newspaper Novosti, the only print media for the Serb minority in Croatia. Specifically, MP Mlinarić publicly announced the Homeland Movement’s intention to completely abolish state funding for Novosti starting in 2026. This statement followed reports by Novi List that the president of the Homeland Movement, Ivan Penava, had allegedly pressured minority members of the Council for National Minorities not to ‘protect the interests of Novosti’.

Such an announcement, including claims of political influence over the decisions of the Council for National Minorities, constitutes an unlawful interference in the independence of a public institution and a direct violation of the Constitutional Act on the Rights of National Minorities.

Financing of minority media must be conducted through an open public call and remain completely independent of political pressure in line with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).

The MFRR already issued a warning about political pressure after Novosti‘s 2025 budget was dramatically reduced by 35% compared to the previous year, despite a 13.3% increase in the Council for National Minorities’ overall annual budget. We viewed this reduction as being driven by the far-right Homeland Movement, which included calls for defunding the magazine in its election manifesto due to its critical reporting.

During our in-person mission to Croatia last May, the continuous targeting of Novosti was a crucial topic in our meetings, where we expressed absolute alarm at the rising signs of increased political pressure on the media and journalists.

Media freedom is not only a cornerstone of democracy but also an international obligation of the Republic of Croatia as a member state of the European Union. Political pressure on the media — especially on minority media — represents a serious breach of European standards and a threat to media pluralism.

An alert regarding the situation has already been submitted to the Mapping Media Freedom and the Council of Europe safety of journalists platform.

Therefore, we urge Croatian authorities to ensure the independence of the Council for National Minorities, guarantee the protection of minority media, and cease any form of political pressure on journalists and media outlets.

Signed by:

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
ARTICLE 19 Europe
International Press Institute (IPI)

This statement was coordinated by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.

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Lithuania: Media freedom groups raise alarm as political pressure…

Lithuania: Media freedom groups raise alarm as political pressure campaign on LRT widens

Proposed legal amendments to the law governing Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT risk weakening its editorial independence and disrupting its sustainable financing, the undersigned partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) warn today.

4.12.2025

Earlier this week, LRT journalists announced a protest scheduled for 9 December in front of the Parliament to oppose proposed changes to the Law on the Lithuanian National Radio and Television, which they say would “dismantle the safeguards that protect LRT’s independence.”

The protest is organised in reaction to two amendments initiated by the governing Nemunas Dawn party, which is part of the ruling parliamentary majority, which targeted both LRT’s budget and the rules governing the dismissal of its Director General.

On 25 November, lawmakers voted to freeze LRT’s annual budget at €79.6 million for 2026, 2027, and 2028, overriding the existing mechanism that would have increased the broadcaster’s funding by roughly 11% next year, according to LRT. The budget change was made without proper consultation with LRT management.

Meanwhile, a proposed legal amendment that would lower the threshold for dismissing the Director General, allowing the LRT Council to remove the head of the broadcaster with a simple majority rather than the current two-thirds requirement, was passed the first reading in Parliament on 27 November. We are concerned that this would open the door to greater political pressure on the LRT’s management and potentially violate Article 5 of the European Media Freedom Act, which obliges Member States to ensure that procedures for the appointment and dismissal of PSM leadership “aim to guarantee the independence of the public service media.”

Our organisations further warn that these legislative reforms follow the results of an internal audit conducted in 2025 to assess LRT’s performance, particularly its “political neutrality” for the period 2021-2024. The audit report, published in November, identified areas for improvement but overall found that the public broadcaster operates efficiently and transparently, and did not identify any editorial bias.

As feared, in the recent weeks politicians from Nemunas Dawn and other coalition parties have instrumentalised the audit findings to attack the public broadcaster, question its funding and governance, and justify attempts to increase political control over LRT. Our organisations repeatedly raised concerns about the scope, nature and justification for such an audit and its potential impact.

Ahead of the planned strike, MFRR partners urge political parties to reject the proposed legislative amendment to the LRT law. Moving forward, any such proposed changes should be put to public consultation, with input from expert national and international journalists and media freedom groups, as well as input from LRT management itself. MFRR partners will continue to closely monitor the situation and alert European institutions about emerging threats to media freedom in Lithuania.

Signed by:

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

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Ukraine: Peace plan must ensure accountability for crimes against…

Ukraine: Peace plan must ensure accountability for crimes against journalists

As negotiations continue over a peace plan to end the Russian war on Ukraine, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and partner organisations strongly oppose any proposals on granting amnesty for potential war crimes committed in the course of Russia’s full-scale invasion, especially for those against journalists.

04.12.2025

Our organisations renew our demand that those responsible for the killing of at least 16 journalists, the serious injury of dozens more, as well as for other attacks on media infrastructure, are identified and held accountable for potential war crimes under international law and relevant domestic law. Investigations should rely, among other sources, on the expertise of Ukrainian journalists and media, who have already contributed to uncovering facts linked to potential war crimes targeting journalists.

We make this call in reaction to the initial 28-point plan proposed by the Trump administration that contained a provision giving “full amnesty” for all acts committed during the course of the war. While later reports suggest that this provision is no longer on the negotiating table, MFRR partners stress that any attempt to introduce blanket amnesty that covers potential war crimes committed against journalists, or civilians, would represent a severe breach of international law including international humanitarian law and relevant human rights obligations.

All warring parties must protect journalists, as civilians, during times of armed conflict, according to international humanitarian law. The deliberate targeting of journalists, as civilians, as well as media infrastructure, constitutes a war crime, and must be investigated as such under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and relevant domestic law. Any form of amnesty for such violations would lack legal grounds.

In addition to supporting war crimes investigations by the ICC and the Ukrainian judiciary, our organisations endorse efforts by the Council of Europe (CoE) to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, which would facilitate the investigation of crimes not covered by the mandate of the ICC. We urge CoE member states to accelerate the process of the creation of this tribunal, which should have all means at its disposal to conduct investigations into crimes committed in Ukraine, including those committed against journalists and the media.

Due to Russia’s full-scale invasion, at least 16 media workers have been killed while carrying out their professional duties covering this conflict – including Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who died after being tortured while in Russian captivity in 2024. Of these 16 media workers, some were executed, while others died from artillery fire or lately due to Russian first-person view (FPV) drone attacks. This includes French photojournalist Antoni Lallican, who was killed by a Russian FPV drone in eastern Ukraine in October 2025, and Ukrainian reporters Aliona Hramova and Yevhen Karmazin who were killed in another Russian drone attack in Donetsk region weeks later.

As of November 2025, the MFRR has also documented 53 cases in which Russian armed forces destroyed Ukrainian media infrastructure. We further note that peace discussions this month follow one of the deadliest periods for journalists in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. As reported by monitoring bodies in Ukraine, this increase in targeted attacks on journalists wearing PRESS vests has created an increasingly dangerous security situation for journalists and media workers reporting from the front lines.

We therefore strongly urge all parties involved in peace deal discussions – including the U.S. and the E.U – not to agree to any measures granting amnesty for war crimes committed against journalists, as civilians. Any such concessions would dramatically undermine international treaties and international humanitarian law, set a dangerous legal precedent, and send a signal to the world that attacks against journalists and civilians can go unpunished.

Signed by:

International Press Institute (IPI)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
Institute of Mass Information (IMI)
Reporters sans frontières (RSF) / Reporters without Borders
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
ARTICLE 19 Europe

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Open letter: Bosnian public broadcaster BHRT in the final…

Open letter: Bosnian public broadcaster BHRT in the final stage of collapse, EU must take swift action

27 November 2025

Dear President of the European Commission, Ms Ursula von der Leyen,

Dear Commissioner for Enlargement, Ms Marta Kos,

We are writing to you today to express our serious concerns regarding the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state-level broadcaster, Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT). Our letter comes as BHRT staff today protest in front of Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina to raise alarm about the dire financial situation and call for institutional support and immediate action that will end years of disrespecting the Law.

For years, BHRT has been facing serious financial challenges due to a deep institutional crisis and debts primarily incurred by entity-level broadcaster RTRS, which has brought the national public broadcaster to the brink of collapse. Politicians have openly disregarded the law, resulting in only minimal funds reaching BHRT, against a backdrop of inter-entity funding disputes.

According to staff, the situation has now reached a point where accounts may be frozen and electricity and gas cut off at any moment. On 21 November, programs were interrupted for three hours due to the loss of power supply and the intermittent non-functioning of the entire system – most likely because of water penetrating the electrical installations during heavy rains. BHRT’s central building is in very poor condition and lacks funds for maintenance. The entity public service FTV, which operates from the same building, also experienced an interruption. Furthermore, the financial situation of BHRT puts some 780 employees from the entire state in a situation of constant precarity and fear of losing even the minimum income they have.

In an appeal published on 19 November 2025, employees called for personal and institutional responsibility, denouncing the inaction that contributes to maintaining the existing blockade and prolonging the unbearable situation.

As BHRT staff protests today, our organisations call on you to urge the Bosnian and Herzegovinian government to ensure long-term support and independence to this public interest media, by implementing and further improving law on public service, in line with European standards as required by the EU integration process, as well as promised in recently adopted Reform Agenda

Public service media are key pillars in media environments in democratic countries. The obligation of governments to ensure a sustainable and independent public media service is a prerequisite for accession to the European Union and compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). If urgent steps are not taken to remedy the issue, BHRT faces the risk of closure.

In order to protect the democratic system in Bosnia and Herzegovina and maintain EU accession aspirations, we urge you, Madam President and Madam Commissioner, to use the Enlargement Package findings and demand action from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutions to ensure a regular and fair distribution of RTV fees according to law, allowing BHRT to receive the funds it is legally entitled to. Bosnian authorities need to promptly adopt a new law that guarantees BHRT’s long-term political and financial independence. RTRS should respect the decision of local courts and pay off the 50 million EUR debt to the BHRT.

These would be just first steps in providing both short-term and long-term legislative solutions that will ensure survival and sustainability of the public broadcaster based on the principles of transparency and editorial independence.

The undersigned organisations stand in solidarity with BHRT journalists and media workers who keep informing Bosnian citizens despite the dramatic conditions they work in. We join them in urging immediate action to save the public broadcaster and ultimately protect the interests of Bosnian citizens in their access to independent, pluralistic and reliable information.

Sincerely,

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

This open letter was coordinated by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.

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Turkey: 7th International press freedom mission concludes

Ankara, November 26, 2025 – A mission delegation composed of eight international press freedom, free expression and human rights organisations has concluded a joint press freedom mission to Türkiye. The delegation met with journalists, civil society, political party representatives, MPs, the judicial branch, regulatory bodies, and foreign diplomatic missions to discuss Türkiye’s rapidly deteriorating media freedom environment.

26.11.2025

Türkçe açıklama aşağıdadır…

This seventh international press freedom mission to Türkiye, held in Ankara from 24 to 26 November 2025, was led by the International Press Institute (IPI) and included Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19 Europe, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) as part of Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO).

During the visit, the delegation held meetings with the Turkish Constitutional Court, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, several foreign diplomatic missions, and representatives of Türkiye’s political landscape, including MPs from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM). The mission also met with the Association of Journalists in Ankara as well as members of the broader journalism community.

Despite multiple requests, government institutions, including the Directorate of Communications, the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, and several other ministries, as well as representatives of the AKP and MHP, declined to meet with the delegation or did not respond.

The mission delegation raised for consideration a wide variety of issues that have led to a further decline in press freedom in Türkiye, since our last mission in November 2024. The situation this year has been marked by a sharp escalation in political pressure, judicial harassment and censorship targeting the press.

Since 19 March 2025, high-profile detentions, including the imprisonment of opposition mayors and municipal officials that were largely viewed as politically motivated, were accompanied by large-scale protests that authorities met with mass detentions and restrictions on coverage. Journalists documenting the events faced early-morning police raids, physical assaults, and attempts from authorities to silence them, such as the warning from the former RTÜK chair that failure to “remain free from political bias” while covering protests would result in maximum penalties, including the revocation of licenses.

The mission delegation also highlighted a troubling pattern of punitive actions against critical outlets and journalists. Journalists across the country continue to face assault, threats, and intimidation, while criminal investigations and prosecutions against them remain commonplace. Prolonged arbitrary pre-trial detention and politically motivated investigations and prosecutions, such as those against journalists Furkan Karabay and Fatih Altaylı, reinforce the climate of fear and self-censorship.

Regulatory bodies continue to leverage their authority to silence dissent. As an institution with eroded independence that urgently needs reforms to restore its autonomy, RTÜK imposed heavy fines and broadcast bans targeting critical television outlets, a practice that deprives the public of critical voices. The Press Advertising Agency’s restrictive and one-sided criteria for distributing public advertising further strained the survival of local independent media. Although the Constitutional Court annulled parts of the agency’s mandate, economic pressure continues to serve as a tool of control. We also note with alarm the bandwidth throttling of social media platforms and messaging services during events of significant public interest, and the resurgence of “foreign influence” narratives used to justify interference in independent journalism.

The delegation urges Turkish authorities to end the judicial harassment of journalists, fully implement the decisions of the Constitutional Court on freedom of expression at all levels, and guarantee due process and fair trial rights. We call on regulators to cease arbitrary sanctions and repeat that they must operate independently and transparently. Türkiye must safeguard open debate, restore unrestricted digital access, and stop vilifying civil society or the press through vague accusations under its overly broad and vague criminal provisions including those in its anti-terrorism law, in violation of the country’s constitutional and international human rights obligations to protect the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Türkiye should also respect international standards and practices in issuing press cards as a free decision of journalist associations and media.

Ensuring a safe, free and pluralistic media environment is essential to democracy, the rule of law, and the meaningful protection of human rights. The steps taken in 2025 have moved Türkiye further away from these standards. At the same time, the mission delegation underscores that ongoing peace negotiations could serve as a crucial opportunity to advance comprehensive reforms that strengthen journalists’ rights, safeguard pluralism and help rebuild respect for fundamental freedoms. We call on the authorities to reverse the current trajectory and to engage meaningfully with domestic and international stakeholders to uphold press freedom and freedom of expression.

Signed by:

International Press Institute (IPI)
Amnesty International
ARTICLE 19 Europe
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) as part of MFRR
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) as part of MFRR
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)

Türkiye: Uluslararası basın özgürlüğü misyonu ziyaretleri tamamlandı

Basın özgürlüğü, ifade özgürlüğü ve insan hakları odaklı çalışmalar yürüten sekiz uluslararası kuruluştan oluşan heyetimiz Türkiye’deki basın özgürlüğü misyonunu tamamladı. Heyet, Türkiye’nin giderek kötüleşen medya özgürlüğü koşullarına ilişkin endişelerini gazetecilere, sivil toplum temsilcilerine, siyasi parti yetkililerine, milletvekillerine, yargı organlarına, düzenleyici kuruluşlara ve diplomatik temsilciliklere iletti.

Uluslararası Basın Enstitüsü (IPI) öncülüğünde 24-26 Kasım 2025’te Ankara’da düzenlenen yedinci uluslararası basın özgürlüğü misyonuna Uluslararası Af Örgütü, ARTICLE 19, Gazetecileri Koruma Komitesi (CPJ), Avrupa Basın ve Medya Özgürlüğü Merkezi (ECPMF), Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), Sınır Tanımayan Gazeteciler (RSF) ve Güney Doğu Avrupa Medya Örgütü (SEEMO) katıldı.

Heyetin ziyaret ettiği kurumlar arasında Anayasa Mahkemesi, Radyo ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu (RTÜK), Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP), Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi (DEM) ve bağımsız milletvekilleriyle Avrupa Birliği Türkiye Delegasyonu ve yabancı diplomatik temsilcilikler yer aldı. Ayrıca, Ankara Gazeteciler Cemiyeti ev sahipliğinde yapılan görüşmelerdeyse Türkiye’den basın özgürlüğü kuruluşlarıyla gazeteciler yer aldı.

İletişim Başkanlığı, Adalet Bakanlığı, İçişleri Bakanlığı ve diğer bakanlıklar da dahil çeşitli devlet kurumlarının yanı sıra Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) ve Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi (MHP) temsilcilerine gönderilen resmi görüşme taleplerine ya yanıt alınamadı ya da görüşme talepleri reddedildi.

Yapılan görüşmelerde, Kasım 2024’teki son misyondan bu yana Türkiye’de basın özgürlüğünü daha da zayıflatan çeşitli meseleler gündeme alındı. Heyet, 2025’te basına yönelik siyasi baskıların, yargı eliyle uygulanan yıldırma politikalarının ve sansürün artışına dikkat çekti.

19 Mart 2025’ten bu yana yaşanan gelişmelerde, muhalefet belediye başkanlarının ve yetkililerinin tutuklandığı, siyasi saikli olmakla eleştirilen sansasyonel davalar geniş çaplı protestolara yol açtı. Yetkililer, bu protestolara kitlesel gözaltılar ve haber kısıtlamalarıyla karşılık verdi. Toplumsal olayları belgeleyen gazeteciler sabah saatlerinde yapılan ev baskınlarıyla gözaltına alındı, fiziksel saldırıya uğradı. Eski RTÜK Başkanı’nın, protestoları haberleştirirken siyasi tarafsızlıktan sapmaları halinde en ağır yaptırımların, hatta lisans iptallerinin uygulanacağı yönündeki uyarısı da dikkati çekiciydi.

Heyet, eleştirel medya kuruluşlarına ve gazetecilere yönelik kaygı verici cezaları da gündeme getirdi. Gazeteciler gözdağı, tehdit ve fiziksel saldırılara maruz kalmaya devam ederken açılan davalar da yaygınlığını koruyor. Gazeteci Furkan Karabay ve Fatih Altaylı örneklerindeki gibi, uzun süren tutuklu yargılama ve siyasi saikle ilerleyen cezai süreçler korku ve otosansür ortamını pekiştiriyor.

Düzenleyici kurumlar da yetkilerini kötüye kullanarak muhalif sesleri susturmaya devam ediyor. Bağımsızlığı ciddi ölçüde aşınmış, özerkliğini yeniden tesis etmek için kapsamlı reformlara ihtiyaç duyan RTÜK’ün, eleştirel televizyon kanallarına uyguladığı ağır para cezaları, yayın yasakları ve ekran karartmaları kamuoyunu bağımsız seslere erişmekten mahrum bırakıyor. Basın İlan Kurumu’nun (BİK) kamu ilanlarının dağıtımındaki kısıtlayıcı kriterleri, yerel ve bağımsız medya kuruluşlarının ayakta kalma mücadelesini zorlaştırıyor. Anayasa Mahkemesi, BİK’in bazı yetkilerini iptal etmiş olsa da ekonomik baskı bir kontrol aracı olarak varlığını sürdürüyor.

Heyet ayrıca toplumsal öneme sahip olaylar esnasında sosyal medya platformları ve mesajlaşma uygulamalarına erişimin kısıtlanmasının ve bağımsız gazeteciliğe yönelik müdahaleleri meşrulaştırmak için yeniden dolaşıma sokulan “etki ajanlığı” söylemlerinin endişe verici biçimde arttığını vurguladı.

Yetkililer, yargı eliyle gazetecileri yıldırma politikalarının önüne geçip, Anayasa Mahkemesi’nin ifade özgürlüğüne ilişkin olumlu kararlarını uygulamalı ve adil yargılanma hakkını güvence altına almalı. Düzenleyici kuruluşları keyfi yaptırımları sonlandırmaya ve basın denetim organlarının bağımsız ve şeffaf bir şekilde faaliyet göstermesini sağlamaya davet ediyoruz. Türkiye özgür tartışma ortamını korumalı, dijital erişim sınırlamalarına son vermeli ve hem sivil toplumu hem de basını terörle mücadele de dahil muğlak ceza hükümleriyle hedef almaktan vazgeçmeli. Ayrıca uluslararası standartlara uyarak basın kartlarının gazeteci dernekleri ve medya kuruluşlarının özgür kararıyla verilmesinin önünü açılmalı.

Özgür, çoğulcu ve güvenli bir medya ortamı demokrasi, hukukun üstünlüğü ve insan hakları için hayati öneme sahip. 2025’teki gelişmeler Türkiye’yi bu standartlardan daha da uzaklaştırdı. Fakat halihazırda devam eden barış müzakereleri, gazetecilerin haklarını güçlendirmenin, çoğulculuğu güvence altına almanın ve temel özgürlüklere riayeti yeniden tesis etmenin önünü açacak kapsamlı reformlar konusunda yol almak için fırsatlar sunuyor. Misyon heyeti olarak yetkilileri, Türkiye’nin mevcut gidişatını tersine çevirerek basın ve ifade özgürlüğünü korumak için ulusal ve uluslararası taraflarla işbirliği yapmaya çağırıyoruz.

İmzalayanlar:

Uluslararası Basın Enstitüsü (IPI)
ARTICLE 19 Europe
Avrupa Basın ve Medya Özgürlüğü Merkezi (ECPMF) — Medya Özgürlüğü Acil Müdahale (MFRR) partneri
Gazetecileri Koruma Komitesi (CPJ)
Güney Doğu Avrupa Medya Örgütü (SEEMO)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) — Medya Özgürlüğü Acil Müdahale (MFRR) partneri
Sınır Tanımayan Gazeteciler (RSF)
Uluslararası Af Örgütü

Bu açıklama, Medya Özgürlüğü Acil Müdahale (MFRR) tarafından koordine edilmiştir. MFRR, AB üye ülkeleri ve aday ülkelerde basın ve medya özgürlüğünün ihlallerini takip eden, izleyen ve bunlara müdahale eden Avrupa çapında bir mekanizmadır.

Allgemein

Hungary: New EU Media Board should assess Blikk acquisition…

Hungary: New EU Media Board should assess Blikk acquisition by pro-government media group

The undersigned Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and Médiafórum today raise alarm about the recent acquisition of Hungary’s most-read tabloid newspaper by a pro-government media group and calls on the newly established European Board for Media Services to launch an assessment of the merger and its potentially negative impact on media pluralism in Hungary.

21 November 2025

Our organisations call on the European Board for Media Services (Media Board) – the independent EU advisory body established by the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) – to initiate an advisory opinion on the takeover, which we hope will be an important test case for ensuring free and pluralistic media inside the bloc.

In early November 2025, it was announced that Indamedia, a pro-government media group, had reached a deal with Ringier, a Swiss media company, to purchase its portfolio of media titles in Hungary for an undisclosed sum. The purchase includes Blikk, the country’s most popular tabloid, which has three million monthly online readers as well as several regional newspapers.

The acquisition represents yet another example of the consolidation of media under government-aligned ownership. Indamedia is linked to the Prime Minister’s business circle through the influence and partial ownership of Miklós Vaszily. Vaszily owns 50% of Indamedia and is also president of TV2, a major pro-government television channel. His career includes leading roles at other Orbán-aligned outlets, including Origo, which was transformed into staunchly government-friendly media under his stewardship.

Indamedia already owns Index, a formerly independent online news website which was captured in 2020. If the same policies enforced at Index and Origo are now implemented at Blikk, a market leader, it would further shrink the space for citizens to access pluralistic media content. With the recent appointment of a new editor-in-chief aligned with the new owners, the threat of editorial adjustments appears high.

Crucially, this merger comes less than six months before the April 2026 election in which the ruling Fidesz party is facing its biggest challenge in a decade and tails in the polls. The acquisition therefore looks timed to tighten media control ahead of the vote and increase the ability of the government to reach voters.

The takeover, and its timing, must also be viewed against the backdrop of the Hungarian government’s long term media capture strategy, in which media titles owned by foreign owners retreating from the market have been bought up at opportune moments in strategic acquisitions led by business interests linked directly or indirectly with the government or the Prime Minister, after which new editors are brought in, the editorial line is recalibrated, and overt criticism and watchdog journalism is silenced, and to differing levels replaced with political propaganda. Examples include the sale in 2016 – also by Ringier – of the newspaper Népszabadság to Mediaworks, a company with close ties to the government who promptly closed the paper.

Over the past 15 years, the government has successfully orchestrated this strategy to the point where it is estimated the government holds sway or indirect control over 80% of the media market. This has been combined with capture of the public broadcaster, the installation of former Fidesz MPs to control the key media regulator, and the deliberate bloating of state advertising budgets to prop up media towing the government line. As a new report published this week outlines, the result is the most sophisticated system of media capture and control ever developed within the European Union.

The EU Commission’s flagship European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), which entered into full force in August 2025, was developed in part to address the systemic challenges to democratic systems posed by such state-led media capture. With this new regulatory framework in place, all key obligations under the EMFA are now mandatory for Member States. The Media Board, established specifically to advise the European Commission, now has a mandate, and a duty, to act.

Under EMFA, any media merger that could have a significant impact on media pluralism and editorial independence qualifies for assessment. Under the new rules, the Media Board can issue an opinion after being consulted by the relevant national regulator. In Hungary, the Media Council and the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) are tasked with assessing such mergers. However, there has been no indication so far that either body will do so. As the Hungarian government has challenged EMFA before the European Court of Justice seeking to have it nullified, any interaction with Hungarian regulators appears unlikely.

Even if it were to launch its own assessment, the Media Council is dominated by former Fidesz MPs and is the target of infringement proceedings by the Commission over its discriminatory decision to reject the license renewal of one of the country’s last critical radio broadcasters. It is therefore unlikely that any assessment conducted by the Media Council on this merger would be transparent, objective, proportionate and non-discriminatory – the criteria set out under EMFA for such assessments.

Instead, in the absence of an independent consultation by the national regulators, rules state that the Media Board may issue an opinion on its own initiative, or when requested by the European Commission. Given the clear impact the merger in Hungary will have, our organisations believe this represents an important first potential case for the Media Board. Rather than wait for the Commission’s appeal, the Board should swiftly launch its own assessment. This advisory opinion should address the wider landscape for media pluralism in Hungary, and examine the editorial practices imposed by Indamedia after previous acquisitions, as well as its connections to government.

When completed, the Media Board can then present its assessment to the Hungarian Media Council, which is, under EMFA rules, obliged to take its opinion “to the fullest extent possible”. If this opinion is disregarded, the regulator is obliged to submit its reasoning to the Board and the Commission explaining its position and why the opinion was not followed.

While any conclusions made by the Board assessment are non-binding, we believe this impact assessment can still play an important role in highlighting the undemocratic nature of the takeover at the European level. In addition, any actor seeking to challenge the merger under domestic law will be able to cite in the Board’s advisory opinion in court. Moving forward, assessments of the Media Board on Hungary must be combined with close monitoring of implementation of the EMFA in Hungary by the Commission, which should use all tools at its disposal to enforce the rules.

While our organisations recognise that the EMFA alone cannot and will not be a silver bullet for addressing systemic challenges in Hungary, its provisions must be utilised to the fullest extent to roll back entrenched media capture, to the benefit of a free and pluralistic media market, and more widely the country’s democracy. The EMFA’s new rules are now in place. No time should be wasted in using them.

Signed by:

International Press Institute (IPI)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Médiafórum Egyesület (Hungary)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

Allgemein

Serbia: Election of REM Council undermines democratic principles

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today expresses renewed concern over the undemocratic process by which the National Assembly conducted the latest election for the Council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), Serbia’s key media regulator.

20 November 2025

After a delay of more than one year, the National Assembly last week appointed eight members to the REM Council, including four candidates seen by media experts as independent. However, it failed to approve the ninth appointee representing the country’s national minorities after the ruling majority abstained, drawing criticism of obstruction and leading to the resignation of four of the elected members.

Our organisations warn the European Union that the deliberate exclusion of the representative of the national minority councils, which followed non-transparent adjustments to the nomination criteria and procedure, represents yet another effort by the ruling majority to retain government influence over the body and block democratic reform of the media ecosystem.

The recent vote violates Article 12 of the country’s Law on Electronic Media, undermines the right of minority communities to legitimate representation on the REM Council, and further undermines public trust in the independence of the regulator.

MFRR partners stress that this election follows two previous processes favouring pro-government candidates, which we previously criticised as making a mockery of EU mandated reforms. This latest vote repeats this unsatisfactory process and provides yet another example of an entrenched strategy of media and regulatory control.

In light of the recent resignations of elected members, the MFRR underscore to the EU that the only acceptable outcome remains the lawful and complete appointment of the REM Council, with independent members and a legitimate minority representative. Without this, the regulator will lack credibility and cannot fulfill its role in protecting media pluralism and media ethics.

European standards under the newly adopted European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) are clear: national media regulatory authorities must be legally, functionally, and financially independent, shielded from political interference and influence, and appointed through fair, transparent and merit-based procedures. This recent process again violates these rules.

The MFRR consortium therefore urges the international community and institutions such as the OSCE and the European Union to refrain from legitimising this outcome. We stress that any assessment of progress on media freedom in Serbia must be conditioned on a complete, lawful and transparent appointment of the REM Council.

More widely, Serbia remains in a period of deep crisis for media freedom and has experienced significant backsliding on media freedom and freedom of expression in the past year, as rightly recognised by the European Commission in its latest EU Enlargement Package.

Moving forward, the MFRR will closely watch the response of the European Union and the European Commission to this alarming development and continue to update European institutions on all future latest developments regarding the REM Council.

Signed by:

ARTICLE 19 Europe
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

Library

Ukraine: IPI condemns unprecedented Russian attack on public broadcaster…

Ukraine: IPI condemns unprecedented Russian attack on public broadcaster offices

The IPI global network today condemns the unprecedented Russian attack on the offices of Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne in Dnipro on the night of November 17, which represents an escalation in the targeting of media infrastructure by Russian forces.

20.11.2025

No journalists or staff were injured in the attack, though the strike destroyed a significant amount of office space and technical equipment in what used to be the regional hub of Ukraine’s public broadcaster in the country’s fourth-largest city. An IPI member, Suspilne broadcasts from branches across the country’s territory, including from Dnipro.

The broadcaster reported extensive damage to the building, including blown out windows and doors. Cameras and editing stations belonging to the channel are believed to have been destroyed in the attack.

The offices of several affiliates of Suspilne were also partially destroyed, including Ukrainian Radio and Suspilne Donbas – the regional service of the broadcaster for Ukraine’s Donbas region which is operating in Dnipro for security reasons. The regional hub of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), one of Ukraine’s leading media advocacy and support organizations, was also partially destroyed, as was a TV tower in Dnipro.

According to IMI, publications by Russian sources about the strike indicate that the attack on the TV tower was likely premeditated. The Russian military has not claimed responsibility for the strike.

“IPI condemns Russia’s latest strikes on media offices and infrastructure in Ukraine,” said IPI Eastern Europe Advocacy Lead Karol Łuczka. “While Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian media offices in the past, this attack is unprecedented both by the scale of the destruction caused and indications it was likely premeditated.”

The strike underlines a pattern of increased intensity of Russian attacks on Ukrainian and international media operating in Ukraine, which IPI has observed since the end of summer 2025.

Since the start of this year, IPI has documented 14 attacks on Ukrainian media infrastructure carried out by Russian forces. Attacks of this type stepped up in 2024, when 14 strikes were also recorded, as opposed to only four in 2023. The attack on the Dnipro office of Suspilne is the most serious observed incident to date: the only remotely comparable events of this type were the strikes on Ukraine’s state-owned TV channel Freedom in Kyiv, in February and in April 2025.

Russia has also stepped up its attacks on journalists working near front lines in eastern Ukraine. In October, three media workers were killed by Russian forces while carrying out their work, meaning that levels of attacks on media are now at their highest since March 2022. IPI also recorded eight non-lethal attacks on journalists by Russian forces since the end September, as opposed to only five between January and August of this year.

This statement was coordinated by IPI as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.

Allgemein

European Democracy Shield Bolstering independent media at the core…

European Democracy Shield Bolstering independent media at the core of democratic resilience

In the face of rising digital manipulation, shrinking civic space and collapsing media business models, the European Democracy Shield offers an important opportunity to ensure safety of journalists and media viability, among other things, but only if turned into concrete action. This is what MFRR aims to follow.

18.11.2025

On 13 November 2025, the European Commission adopted its European Democracy Shield, the first comprehensive, flagship strategy for strengthening democratic resilience within the bloc, with a key focus on free and independent media, fighting disinformation and creating healthier information ecosystems to protect European values and security.

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners welcome the fact that many priorities from our submission on media freedom and security of journalists, as well as EPD-led joint submission of 65 organisations, have been incorporated in the text.

Strengthening the economic viability of media, and updating the EU Recommendation on the safety of journalists and to combat Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which have become a pervasive tool for silencing critical voices, are important priorities. Media and press freedom priorities are defined under the umbrella of the second focus of the European Democracy Shield, aimed at strengthening democratic institutions, free and fair elections and free and independent media. A comprehensive list of commitments has been developed to address economic viability, safety of journalists, influence of AI and disinformation.

The MFRR calls for these protections to be retained and enforced. We also call for further protections of journalists from digital pressures and harmful legislation to be introduced. The MFRR also calls for the strict implementation and timeline for the implementation of these commitments, as well as for strengthening the European Democracy Shield enforcement in relation to the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), and Digital Services Act (DSA).

Below we outline how the EU Commission’s priorities reflected the MFRR submission on media freedom and protection of journalists.

Economic viability

Tackling the changing business models for media and the advertising market, now increasingly dominated by online platforms that divert funding away from independent media, is one of the main issues that media is facing in terms of its viability. The commitment to reviewing the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and the Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market is a positive step toward ensuring the economic viability of the media sector. However, the MFRR cautions that these measures must be implemented swiftly and effectively to prevent further erosion of media pluralism.

The Shield’s detailed section on funding for democracy support is particularly significant. The organisations note the Commission’s acknowledgment that additional financial resources are necessary to sustain independent media, especially in the EU neighbourhood and candidate countries. Prioritisation of core funding for independent media is vital for countering the economic pressures imposed by dominant online platforms. The creation of the Media Resilience Programme and the new MFF Global Europe could be important additions to ensure impartiality and core support in the media ecosystem. It is welcoming that media is recognised as a part of defence budgets, but we urge for the precise clarification of the timeline and understanding of the scope Media Resilience Programme and MFF will have.

Safety of journalists

One of the key priorities detailed in the document is ensuring the safety and protection of journalists, including in the EU external action, in line with the highlighted needs of our submission. To intensify its efforts to protect journalists against undue pressure, threats and attacks, the Commission commits to updating its Recommendation on the safety of journalists, which is very welcomed by our consortium.

Reinforcing and strengthening measures on the safety of journalists and combating abusive litigation (SLAPPs) by reviewing its anti-SLAPP Recommendation remains crucial to addressing pressures on journalists. We hope that a high-level event on combating SLAPPs will translate into concrete policies, as indicated by this document. We highlight again that the revisions should include measures that foster a sustainable support system for journalists and media targeted with SLAPPs, ensuring that they are compensated for the damages incurred; as well as to equip the judiciary and legal community with the knowledge to recognise and address SLAPPs while upholding public participation rights.

That being said, our organisations stress the need for robust legal safeguards against the criminalisation of defamation and the use of foreign-agent laws, which continue to drive self-censorship and force journalists into exile.

The Shield also highlights that it will continue assisting the civil society actors and journalists under authoritarian regimes to ensure that “tools for digital censorship circumvention, antisurveillance and anti-shutdown solutions are available to citizens, by scaling up the rapid response work with trusted partners”. It would, nevertheless, be important to ensure that the protection from digital repression, surveillance and online pressures is strengthened both within the EU member states as well as candidate and potential candidate countries. As indicated in the MFRR submission, journalists and media professionals are increasingly targeted by spyware across Europe, with the most recent examples in Serbia and Italy. Further protections from the misuse of spyware are essential to ensure that journalists feel free to conduct their roles in protecting democracy.

Moreover, the Commissions’ commitment to continue funding mechanisms to monitor press freedom in EU Member States and candidate countries, such as MFRR, is an essential way of contributing to the overall goal of supporting media freedom and pluralism, as recognised in the document.

Finally, we are happy to see that the Commission commits to supporting quality independent media and journalism in the EU and candidates and potential candidate countries, with a specific emphasis on core funding for independent media. In addition, continued core support to exiled independent journalists and media outlets, who are working from within the EU and its neighbourhood is essential. We also hope that the support and protection will be ensured in specific cases of transnational repression of exiled journalists. These proposed funding streams should be established in the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework, and in line with the GFMD recommendations for media.

AI and new technology

As highlighted in the MFRR submission, the Democracy Shield recognises that AI poses significant threats to media viability and the integrity of the information ecosystem. These threats to media viability and information ecosystem are planned to be tackled through a welcomed review of the Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market, with a focus on ensuring that the use of AI respects intellectual property rights and does not further destabilize media business models. Developing guidance to maintain fair competition in the digital environment is mentioned as well, particularly in light of the growing influence of AI-driven platforms that can distort media markets and advertising revenues.

The Commission also commits to investing in AI literacy and digital skills for both citizens and media professionals, aiming to strengthen societal resilience against AI-facilitated threats to democracy and media freedom. Though a large part of the document is focused on developing mechanisms for increased media literacy, such as the creation of European Centre for Democratic Resilience, which will host a multi-stakeholder platform, we welcome the fact that the document recognises the DSA as an important tool for media pluralism and media literacy.

We therefore underscore the importance of the Digital Services Act’s provisions, which require very large online platforms and search engines to actively identify and mitigate systemic risks to media freedom and pluralism. Though the Commission commits to monitoring and enforcing these obligations, it falls short of providing actions for their implementation. We urge the Commission to formulate more concrete steps for ensuring the implementation of the DSA and to develop a risk-assessment that is reflective of the real needs of journalists on the ground. To ensure this, among other things, we call for inclusion of data from the protection mechanisms, such as MapMF, in the risk assessment process.

Final considerations

While the European Democracy Shield represents a strong initial commitment, these six organisations, alongside their partners on the ground, will remain actively engaged to ensure that the Shield not only meets but exceeds its stated goals, adapting to new challenges as they arise. The document’s success will ultimately be measured by its ability to translate promises into concrete actions that protect and sustain independent journalism in an increasingly hostile environment.

We agree with Commissioner McGrath that the Shield will need to be adjusted and adapted, therefore we see the document as a strategy to enhance media viability, and safety of journalists, among many other things. In this context, we call for a development of a comprehensive action plan, that would provide clarity on how these commitments will be enforced, and in which timeline. We as MFRR commit to following the situation on the ground, and to alerting the Commission on the new developments, as well as to follow the implementation of all named commitments in the scope of our mandate.

An increased number of attacks against journalists and media professionals across Europe demonstrates the urgency of these commitments and recommendations. If action is not taken now, independent media risk collapse, democratic institutions will be further undermined, and the information space will remain dominated by hostile actors.