Constitutional Court of Albania Strengthens Freedom of Expression in…

Constitutional Court of Albania Strengthens Freedom of Expression in Elton Qyno Case

Joint Statement by the SafeJournalists Network, partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), welcoming the decision of the Constitutional Court of Albania, which overturned the lower-court orders allowing the search and seizure of journalist Elton Qyno’s equipment, reinforcing the importance of protecting journalistic sources and freedom of expression in line with international standards.

29 April 2025

On 22 April 2025, the Constitutional Court of Albania delivered a unanimous 8–0 judgement setting aside lower-court orders authorising the search of journalist Elton Qyno and the seizure of his electronic equipment and directed that all data extracted from those devices be destroyed. The Court held that these measures amounted to a disproportionate interference with freedom of expression and the protection of journalistic sources, rights enshrined in Article 22 of the Albanian Constitution and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

We, the undersigned organisations, welcome this ruling. In an open letter of January 2024, we jointly cautioned that compelling Mr Qyno to reveal his source and confiscating his work materials risked undermining internationally recognised standards and chilling investigative reporting in Albania. The Constitutional Court has now confirmed that journalists may not be required to disclose their sources unless an overriding public interest is demonstrably at stake and no less intrusive avenue is available. The Court’s decision underscores the need for internal safeguards whenever investigations intersect with freedom of expression and media freedom.

We therefore encourage the competent authorities to give immediate effect to the Constitutional Court’s judgement by returning devices to Mr Qyno and formally confirming the deletion of all copies of seized data.

Looking ahead, while our organisations support the fight against corruption in Albania and the role the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office plays here, we invite the SPAK, the judiciary, and competent law enforcement authorities to handle cases involving journalists, public watchdogs and media in line with standards established by the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence which emphasises the protection of journalistic sources, freedom of expression, and the necessity of proportionality in any cases related to journalists and public watchdogs.

Our organisations will continue to monitor the implementation of the Court’s ruling and to support Albanian journalists in defending their rights.

Signed by:

SafeJournalists Network

Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro

Media Freedom Rapid Response partners

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

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

This statement was coordinated by the SafeJournalists Network, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and 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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Media Freedom Rapid Response Input regarding the EU Democracy…

Media Freedom Rapid Response Input regarding the EU Democracy Shield

29.04.2025

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to establish a robust response to threats against democracy through the EU Democracy Shield. The MFRR, led by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and supported by ARTICLE 19 Europe, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the International Press Institute (IPI), and the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), has developed its official input for the EU Democracy Shield. This input emphasises the need for a rights-based approach, promoting media resilience and the safety of journalists as core requirements for preserving democracy in Europe. It focuses on critical areas such as the economic viability of independent media, the safety of journalists, legal protections, and the challenges posed by AI.

The MFRR highlights several pressing concerns, including the dominance of platforms that leads to losses in advertising revenue, reduced funding for media and media organizations, the growing threat of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), surging online attacks on media freedom, and the use of spyware against journalists, media workers, and outlets. The input calls for structural reforms to support public interest journalism, ensure fair negotiation conditions with Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), establish mechanisms to protect against surveillance targeting the media, and strengthen measures against foreign agent-style legislation that poses a significant threat. Furthermore, the input advocates for transparency and a rights-focused approach in AI governance to prevent further erosion of viability and trust in the media.

It is essential to emphasise the need for the EU Democracy Shield to serve as a practical mechanism providing robust support for press and media freedom in order to uphold democratic values. The MFRR partners urge the European Commission and Member States to incorporate these recommendations and act swiftly to safeguard the fundamental role of independent media in democratic societies.

Download the MFRR Input on the EU Democracy Shield

This input 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: Swedish journalist Joakim Medin to face terrorism and…

Turkey: Swedish journalist Joakim Medin to face terrorism and insult charges as pre-trial detention continues

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners strongly condemned the decision to charge Joakim Medin with terrorism related actions in addition to the insult charges that were used to justify his initial arrest.

29.04.2025

Medin, whose first court hearing has been scheduled for April 30, now faces up to twelve years imprisonment if convicted of both indictments.

Since 19 March, over 13 journalists have been arrested and charged with different offences, with at least 12 journalists subjected to police violence. The situation has taken an unprecedented turn with Medin’s detention—marking a rare case where a foreign journalist has faced such charges. His treatment, mirroring that of Turkish journalists, signals a dangerous escalation in the government’s crackdown and serves as a clear warning to international media covering the country’s political unrest.

Medin, a regular contributor to the Swedish daily newspaper Dagens ETC and member of the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF), was initially detained at Istanbul Airport on 27 March 2025, while travelling to cover protests following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. He was subsequently transferred to Silivri Prison.

The reason for his initial detention stemmed from a 2023 investigation by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding Medin’s alleged participation in a Stockholm protest where a puppet of President Erdoğan was hung by its feet. The allegations of Medin’s involvement were promptly denied by the protest organisers.

This incident is the basis for the charges of insulting the President that will be considered at his first hearing on 30 April at the 79th Criminal Court of First Instance in Ankara. The terrorism-related charges have been submitted to the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court, with the trial date still pending.

While the authorities stated that the detention is unrelated to his journalistic activities, the evidence cited against Medin consists primarily of his journalistic work, including social media posts, published articles, and books. His legal representative, MLSA co-director Veysel Ok, has emphasised that there is no concrete evidence beyond legitimate journalistic activities.

This case represents a further deterioration of press freedom in Turkey, where the authorities have intensified their crackdown on journalists. The broadcast regulator RTÜK has also imposed severe restrictions on media outlets, including broadcasting bans and threats to withdraw licenses.

The MFRR partners call for the immediate release of Joakim Medin and the dropping of charges against all of the journalists. We urge Turkish authorities to cease the criminalisation of journalism under anti-terrorism laws and demand an end to the ongoing crackdown on press freedom and the harassment of journalists. Furthermore, we call on the international community to pressure Turkish authorities to end their systematic suppression of press freedom.

Signed by:

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

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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Greece: Investigative media win latest victory in spyware SLAPP…

Greece: Investigative media win latest victory in spyware SLAPP ruling

IPI stands behind Reporters United and Efimerida ton Syntakton. The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFFR) in welcoming the recent ruling by a court in Athens which overwhelmingly dismissed the vexatious lawsuits against journalists from two Greek media outlets over their investigative reporting on the connections of the nephew of the country’s Prime Minister to a spyware scandal.

22.04.2025

On 8 April, the Multi Member Court of First Instance of Athens ruled in favour of journalists Nikolas Leontopoulos, Thodoris Chondrogiannos and Christoforos Kasdaglis from investigative media outlet Reporters United and reporter Dimitris Terzis of newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton (EfSyn), concluding that their reporting on Grigoris Dimitriadis and his connection to a spyware scandal had been accurate.

The reporting revealed how Dimitriadis’ phone number had been used to target 11 individuals with spyware hacks. At the time, Dimitriadis was serving as the Secretary General of the PM’s Office and was responsible for overseeing the Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP). The spyware targets had included the head of the Greek Police and the prosecutor of the EYP. The reporting did not suggest Dimitriadis was responsible for the hacking, only that his phone number had been used.

Dimitriadis had demanded exorbitant fees of €950,0000 in compensation. In its ruling, the court dismissed the allegations and ordered him to pay legal costs of €4,750. It did not identify a single defamatory or objectionable element in the articles. The court did rule that a single headline by EfSyn in its newspaper article constituted simple defamation and ordered the media outlet to pay €3,000 in damages and €450 for legal costs. After the verdict, Dimitriadis claimed he had been “vindicated” and claimed the media outlets had spread “fake news”. EfSyn said it plans to appeal that verdict.

The MFRR welcomes the ruling, which found the reporting itself to have been 100% accurate. However, we note with concern the singular ruling against EfSyn and hope this will be swiftly overturned on appeal. These lawsuits were widely considered to be SLAPPs, a form of abusive litigation aimed at suppressing legitimate public interest reporting. In October 2021, Dimitriadis was awarded the satirical ‘SLAPP Politician of the Year Award’ 2022 by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE). In its latest verdict, the court did not rule on whether the lawsuits were SLAPPs, which are not recognised under Greek law.

Our organisations, which provided financial support to Reporters United for legal fees through our MFRR Legal Support Fund, will continue to defend independent investigative journalism in Greece. As noted in our 2023 report following a mission to Athens, SLAPPs and abusive lawsuits pose an increasing threat to media freedom in Greece.

This case underscores the need for the swift implementation by Greek authorities of the EU’s April 2024 Anti-SLAPP Directive, and to ensure Its provisions to protect journalists against vexatious lawsuits also apply to domestic cases. We note that the European Commission’s 2022 Recommendation on SLAPPs also calls on Member States to combine the directive with reforms to civil and criminal law to protect against abusive proceedings against journalists – another reform greatly needed in Greece.

We note with concern that Dimitriadis has appealed a previous verdict from October 2024 which dismissed separate lawsuits against Reporters United, EfSyn and reporters Nikolas Leontopoulos, Thodoris Chondrogiannos and Thanasis Koukakis. The appeal will now be heard in October 2025. As the legal cases continue, our organisations will continue to closely monitor the situation and advocate for stronger laws to protect media and journalists in Greece from SLAPPs.

The reporting by Reporters United and EfSyn was part of the Predator Files investigation, published as a collaboration by international media including Der Spiegel, Mediapart, Le Soir, Domani and InfoLibre. The reporting can be accessed here.

If you are a media outlet in an EU Member State or Candidate Country which is facing a SLAPP, you can apply for MFRR legal aid here.

Signed by:

International Press Institute (IPI)

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

Greece: Total impunity persists on fourth anniversary of Giorgos…

Greece: Total impunity persists on fourth anniversary of Giorgos Karaivaz murder

The undersigned international media freedom and journalist organisations today mark the fourth anniversary of the killing of Greek crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz in April 2021 with a renewed call for justice and an end to ongoing impunity, which continues to cast a dark shadow over the Greek media and press freedom landscape.

09 April 2025

Karaivaz, a veteran reporter specialised in police and crime issues, was gunned-down outside his home in Athens by two men on a moped on 9 April 2021, in what is widely suspected to have been a professional contract killing linked to organised crime groups.

In July 2024, two brothers arrested in May 2023 and charged with participating in the murder were found not guilty by a court due to insufficient evidence following an investigation in which key evidence was mysteriously destroyed. Karaivaz’s family has appealed this decision, arguing that evidence and testimonies were not properly assessed. However, these appeals to the Supreme Court were rejected and in December 2024, the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court issued a ruling closing the case.

In December 2024, the Mixed Jury Court of Athens then ruled conclusively that Karaivaz was murdered because of his journalistic work. This ruling represented a welcome recognition of the centrality of his journalistic work to his killing, though did nothing to further the case.

Since the acquittals, no additional arrests have been made and our organisations are aware of no further tangible progress in the criminal investigation, despite the fact that two other suspects are still wanted in connection with the murder. The result is that one of the most serious attacks on journalism in the European Union in recent years remains in a state of total impunity.

On the fourth anniversary of the killing, we therefore urge law enforcement authorities and prosecutors to renew their efforts to identify, detain, and prosecute all those involved in the killing, from the gunmen to the mastermind, in whichever country they may be, if necessary with the assistance of international bodies such as Europol.

Our organisations stand by the family and colleagues of Karaivaz in their ongoing search for justice and accountability for the assassination. Our organisations, which conducted a joint mission to Athens in 2023 during which we met with the family as well as judicial and law enforcement authorities, will continue to push for answers and justice.

Signed by:

International Press Institute (IPI)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
ARTICLE 19 Europe
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

Allgemein

Turkey: Detained Swedish journalist Joakim Medin must be released…

Turkey: Detained Swedish journalist Joakim Medin must be released immediately

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners strongly condemn the arrest of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin on terrorism charges in Turkey and call for his immediate release. This is the latest incident amidst the ongoing crackdown on press freedom in which dozens of journalists have been arrested and beaten.

03.04.2025

Türkçe açıklama aşağıdadır.

On 27 March 2025, Joakim Medin, a regular contributor to the Swedish daily newspaper Dagens ETC and member of the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF), was travelling to cover the widespread protests against the recent arrest of Istanbul Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu. Medin was detained by police shortly after landing in Istanbul.

On 30 March, the Turkish authorities confirmed in a statement that he had been charged with being a “member of an armed terrorist organisation” and “insulting the President”, stating that “the detention order is unrelated to his journalistic activities”.

The charges stem from an investigation launched in 2023 by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office Terrorism Crimes Investigation Bureau related to what they claimed was Medin’s participation in a protest in Stockholm, in which a puppet of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was hung by its feet. His participation was promptly denied by the organisers of the protest.

According to the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF), Medin has been transferred to Marmara Prison in Silivri, a high-security prison where political prisoners are being detained.

The arrest is the latest case in a rapidly worsening crackdown on press freedom in the wake of nationwide protests. Since the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on 19 March, the MFRR has documented over 13 journalists arrested, of whom at least seven have been charged with violating the law on meetings and demonstrations. At least 12 journalists have been victims of police violence. Moreover, the broadcast regulator has issued numerous fines against broadcasters, including one temporary broadcasting ban and threatened to withdraw licences from media that do not rely solely on official sources.

The MFRR strongly condemns the unjustified arrest of Medin, calls for his immediate release, and for the charges against him and all other journalists to be dropped. We further call on the Turkish authorities to allow all foreign journalists, including foreign correspondents, to work freely and document ongoing events in Turkey in the name of the right to freedom of information.

The MFRR will continue to monitor Medin’s situation closely and continue to advocate for all journalists detained as a result of the crackdown on the press.

Signed by:

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

Türkiye: Tutuklanan İsveçli Gazeteci Joakim Medin Derhal Serbest Bırakılmalıdır

Medya Özgürlüğü Acil Müdahale (MFRR) ortakları, İsveçli gazeteci Joakim Medin’in Türkiye’de terör suçlamalarıyla tutuklanmasını en güçlü şekilde kınamakta ve derhal serbest bırakılmasını talep etmektedir. Bu olay, onlarca gazetecinin tutuklandığı ve darp edildiği medya özgürlüğüne yönelik devam eden baskının son örneğidir.

27 Mart 2025 tarihinde, İsveç’te faaliyet gösteren günlük gazete Dagens ETC’nin düzenli yazarlarından ve İsveç Gazeteciler Sendikası (SJF) üyesi olan Joakim Medin, İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediye Başkanı ve cumhurbaşkanı adayı Ekrem İmamoğlu’nun yakın zamanda tutuklanmasına karşı düzenlenen kitlesel eylemleri takip etmek için seyahat ediyordu. Medin, İstanbul’a iniş yaptıktan kısa bir süre sonra polis tarafından gözaltına alındı.

30 Mart’ta, yetkililer bir açıklama yaparak Medin’in “silahlı terör örgütü üyeliği” ve “Cumhurbaşkanı’na hakaret” suçlamalarıyla tutuklandığını doğruladı ve “tutuklama kararının gazetecilik faaliyetleriyle ilgili olmadığını” iddia etti.

Suçlamalar, Ankara Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı Terör Suçları Soruşturma Bürosu tarafından 2023 yılında başlatılan ve Medin’in Stockholm’de düzenlenen bir protestoya katıldığı iddiasına dayanan bir soruşturma kapsamında yöneltildi. Söz konusu protestoda, Cumhurbaşkanı Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’ın bir kuklası ayaklarından asılmıştı. Ancak protestoyu düzenleyenler, Medin’in bu eyleme katıldığı iddiasını derhal yalanladı.

İsveç Gazeteciler Sendikası’na (SJF) göre Medin, siyasi mahkumların tutulduğu yüksek güvenlikli Silivri’de bulunan Marmara Cezaevi’ne nakledildi.

Bu tutuklama, ülke genelindeki protestoların ardından medya özgürlüğüne yönelik hızla kötüleşen baskının en güncel örneklerinden biridir. İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediye Başkanı Ekrem İmamoğlu’nun 19 Mart’ta tutuklanmasından bu yana MFRR, en az 13 gazetecinin gözaltına alındığını belgelemiştir; bunlardan en az yedisi, toplantı ve gösteri yürüyüşleri yasasını ihlal etmekle suçlanmaktadır. En az 12 gazeteci polis şiddetine maruz kalmıştır. Ayrıca, Radyo ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu (RTÜK), çeşitli yayın kuruluşlarına çok sayıda para cezası vermiş, bir kanala geçici yayın yasağı getirmiş ve yalnızca resmi kaynaklara dayanmayan medya kuruluşlarının lisanslarını iptal etmekle tehdit etmiştir.

MFRR, Medin’in haksız yere tutuklanmasını en güçlü şekilde kınamakta, derhal serbest bırakılmasını ve ona yöneltilen suçlamalar ile tüm diğer gazetecilere yönelik suçlamaların düşürülmesini talep etmektedir. Ayrıca, yetkililere, yabancı muhabirler de dahil olmak üzere tüm yabancı gazetecilerin serbestçe çalışmasına ve Türkiye’deki gelişmeleri ifade hürriyeti kapsamında belgelemelerine izin verme çağrısında bulunuyoruz.

MFRR, Medin’in durumunu yakından izlemeye devam edecek ve basına yönelik baskılar sonucunda tutuklanan tüm gazeteciler için savunuculuk çalışmalarını sürdürecektir.

İmzalayanlar:

Avrupa Gazeteciler Federasyonu (EFJ)
Avrupa Basın ve Medya Özgürlüğü Merkezi (ECPMF)
Uluslararası Basın Enstitüsü (IPI)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)

Allgemein

Serbia: Spyware attacks on BIRN journalists further deepen press…

Serbia: Spyware attacks on BIRN journalists further deepen press freedom crisis

The partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today raise further alarm about the deepening press freedom crisis in Serbia in the wake of revelations showing evidence of the abuse of advanced Pegasus spyware to target two journalists from leading investigative media platform BIRN.

28 March 2025

Our organisations warn that the ultimately failed attempt to use military-grade surveillance technology to spy on journalists from the award-winning Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) represents another milestone in the deteriorating situation in Serbia, which requires immediate and strong interventions from the European Union.

The confirmation of spyware use was published by Amnesty International on March 27 and documented how its forensic testing had shown how the two female journalists – one of whom was Jelena Veljković – had both received messages on February 14 containing fake links, which if clicked would have infected the phone with Pegasus, an advanced spyware tool sold by Israeli cybersurveillance firm NSO Group.

The messages were sent hours apart in the messaging platform Viber from the same number registered with the state operator Telekom Srbija, and included a link which led to a fake version of the Serbian news portal N1. According to BIRN, after the identical messages were flagged as potential phishing attacks, they were forwarded to Amnesty, which carried out the tests. The human rights group said that there was a high probability that one or more actors from the Serbian state apparatus, or agents acting on their behalf, were involved in the attack.

Our organisations strongly condemn the latest example of spyware use to target investigative journalists in Serbia, which is prohibited as a criminal offense under the country’s Criminal Code. These attacks pose a serious threat to journalistic privacy, source protection and media freedom. Alarmingly, these are the seventh and eighth confirmed cases of spyware use against journalists in Serbia, posing a pattern of illegal yet unsanctioned spyware abuse.

The MFRR responded to previous revelations in December 2024 which showed how products made by Israeli company Cellebrite were being used by Serbian authorities to extract data from the phones of journalists and activists. Following Amnesty’s report, Cellebrite revoked its licence to the Serbian authorities. The revelations by Amnesty also documented how domestically-developed spyware, “NoviSpy”, had been developed to infect Android devices and capture confidential information and upload it to a government-controlled server.

The new revelations offer yet more damning evidence of the flagrant abuse of NSO’s technology by its clients. NSO claims its products are “sold exclusively to verified government users” such as state law enforcement and intelligence authorities, meaning its use in Serbia would be limited to state agencies.

Given the fresh abuses, our organisations firstly call on all Serbian intelligence authorities, police bodies, the Ministry of Interior, and the government to immediately provide transparent information about cyber-surveillance capabilities at their disposal and their use against journalists, as well as information about all ongoing contracts with private surveillance firms, any of which would violate the country’s laws.

Secondly, considering the growing body of evidence of Pegasus use by Serbian authorities, our groups demand that NSO Group launch an immediate internal review of any existing contracts with Serbian authorities, consider the repeated breaches of its terms of use, and swiftly revoke any existing contracts, as well as urgently review its safeguards procedures for abuse of its products by authoritarian states.

Thirdly, we urge the European Union to strongly condemn the targeting of journalists from BIRN Serbia, and to request urgent answers from Serbian government and law enforcement authorities about repeated abuses of spyware technology. More widely, the EU must take far stronger action to address spyware use against journalists and the rapidly deteriorating media freedom situation in Serbia, which has now reached its most worrying point in decades, in clear violation of fundamental democratic values required for EU accession.

Our organisations stand by BIRN Serbia, its journalists, and their important investigative work. We will continue to closely monitor, document and respond to all attacks on press freedom and journalists in Serbia, and will make spyware a central topic of investigation during the MFRR’s upcoming emergency visit to the country on April 7-9. During this trip we will gather information about other potentially unreported spyware attacks and work with partner organisations to investigate them.

Signed by:

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

Allgemein

Turkey: MFRR partners call for an end to crackdown…

Turkey: MFRR partners call for an end to crackdown on journalists covering political protests

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partner organisations call for an immediate end to the crackdown against media after documenting widespread attacks, detentions, and censorship measures against journalists following the formal charging of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu with corruption on March 23, 2025.

28 March 2025

Mapping Media Freedom registered that the police violence has been targeted against at least 12 journalists. Most concerning was the brutal attack on journalist Tansel Can by seven police officers, which led to his hospitalization. Anadolu Agency reporter Hakan Akgün suffered a broken nose, while Reuters correspondent Dilara Şenkaya sustained forehead injuries from police violence.

The situation worsened on March 24 with detentions and home raids, during which police detained at least 11 journalists for covering the protests in Istanbul. The following day seven of them were charged with “violating the law on meetings and demonstrations.” All but one of the detainees were released on March 27 awaiting trial.

On March 26, BBC News correspondent Mark Lowen was taken from his hotel and detained for 17 hours before being forcibly deported, as “a threat to public order.”

On March 27, Evrensel correspondent Nisa Sude Demirel and ETHA News Agency correspondent Elif Bayburt were detained during an early morning police raid.

The broadcast regulator RTÜK quickly imposed maximum financial penalties on several TV channels on March 21, and threatened to revoke broadcast licenses from media outlets that do not rely solely on official statements. Following this warning, pro-government channels ceased their live coverage of the protests.

On March 27, RTÜK issued a 10-day broadcast suspension for SZC TV, along with programme restrictions and financial penalties for three other TV channels. RTÜK also threatened to block two YouTube channels—including one owned by journalist Fatih Altaylı—unless they obtained broadcasting licenses within 72 hours.

Turkey’s authorities have also implemented sweeping censorship measures, blocking over 700 social media accounts including several journalists and media outlets. For three days, following İmamoğlu’s initial arrest on March 19, the authorities had imposed severe bandwidth restrictions on social media including X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, Telegram, and Signal, in what appeared to be part of a premeditated plan to restrict public access to information.

The government is using multiple powers to stop independent media coverage of the growing political crisis. It is at these moments that journalism that serves the public and not the powerful, is at its most important and must be vigorously defended.

The MFRR consortium calls on Turkey’s authorities to immediately release all journalists, launch an independent investigation into police violence, lift all censorship measures, and ensure journalists can freely report without fear of reprisal.

Signed by:

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

Library

Romania: Answers needed over surveillance of investigative journalist

The undersigned international media freedom organisations today raise concerns over recent revelations about the physical surveillance and wiretapping of an investigative journalist by a local branch of the Romanian National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and call for an investigation into this and previous cases of surveillance on journalists by the authority.

20 March 2025

Our organizations stress that the surveillance operation against the journalist by the DNA’s Iași office in 2023 appears to have been disproportionate and lacking in proper justification, posing a serious threat to source protection and press freedom in Romania which warrants scrutiny by both national and European authorities.

On 17 March 2025, journalist Victor Ilie revealed that he had been surveilled for two months in 2023 as part of an investigation launched by the DNA branch in Iași, northern Romania. According to documents, Ilie was first followed for two days by DNA operatives in the spring of 2023, while working in the RISE Project editorial office in Bucharest. Ilie was photographed in front of the office, and his phone was tapped for two months by the Technical Service of DNA. Ilie was physically surveilled and followed while with his partner, fellow journalist Luiza Vasiliu.

The surveillance, which was only revealed to the journalist after the DNA investigation was concluded, was linked to a story Ilie was working on at the time with RISE Project and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project on the grain trade from Ukraine through Romania, which was later published. As part of his journalist work, Ilie had gone undercover in February 2023 to speak with the executive director of a local food safety directorate. After their meeting, the individual made a criminal complaint to the national anti-corruption body.

In a public statement, the DNA confirmed the investigation into Ilie was opened based on this complaint of incitement to abuse and bribery and that the surveillance was approved by a court. However, although the DNA quickly established Ilie was a journalist with a track record of investigative reporting, and no evidence was found regarding bribery, the surveillance warrant against him was extended for a second month. During this time, the DNA had access to Ilie’s movements, work projects and conversations with confidential sources.

While our organisations recognise the obligation of the DNA to act upon a criminal complaint, as soon as Ilie’s status as a journalist was identified authorities should have immediately taken into account international standards for journalistic source confidentiality and press freedom, which are outlined in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and standards of the Council of Europe. The fact that the surveillance warrant was extended for another month, without identifiable justification, poses questions about the actions of the DNA Iași which require closer scrutiny.

Our organisations support the recent letter by Romanian journalists and civic groups sent to state and judicial authorities with a request to provide further clarification over the methods and extension of the surveillance. We urge the National Anticorruption Directorate to respond in full to all inquiries in a prompt and transparent manner. These answers should address both the specific questions over the surveillance of Ilie, but also previous cases of surveillance by the DNA Iași office against journalists Rareș Neamțu, Tudor Leahu and Andrei Viliche in a period spanning back to 2018. Together, these cases present a pattern of questionable practices by the DNA Iași that seriously threaten journalistic freedoms.

The Ministry of Justice and relevant judicial bodies in Romania should urgently review the actions of the DNA Iași in these cases to assess the necessity and proportionality of the surveillance operations and investigations. Trainings should be carried out to ensure compliance of all prosecutors and judges with international freedom of expression standards regarding source protection. Moreover, the European Union should closely follow this case, including any further responses of the DNA or DNA Iași, and the European Commission should address questions to the Romanian authorities to seek clarifications on the issues raised above, and at the same time, emphasise the importance of rule of law and the protection of journalistic privacy and press freedom in Romania.

Hard-hitting investigative journalism of the kind carried out by Victor Ilie, his partner Luiza Vasiliu and RISE Project is vital for unearthing corruption and abuses of power. Journalists in Romania working against the odds to carry out this important work should be confident in the full protection of the legal system, not fearful of unjustified surveillance operations by the very law enforcement authorities supposed to defend them. Our organisations stand by the affected journalists in Romania will continue to follow this case closely in the coming months.

Signed by:

International Press Institute (IPI)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

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Hungary: IPI warns of fresh crackdown on independent media

The International Press Institute (IPI) today warns of a looming crackdown by the Hungarian government on independent media in the country, in the wake of recent incendiary comments by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in which he vowed to eliminate all media outlets and other organisations that have received foreign funding.

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In recent weeks, Orbán and his ruling Fidesz party have drastically ramped up rhetoric against media and other civil society groups operating in Hungary that receive any form of foreign grant or funding and pledged to draft new legislation to protect national sovereignty.

These latest threats against the media escalated further on 15 March when, during a major political rally in Budapest, the Prime Minister accused journalists of his government of serving the interests of foreign powers and compared them and other groups to insects who would soon be eradicated.

During the speech, the PM told several thousand supporters that in the coming weeks the government would “dismantle the financial machine that has used corrupt dollars to buy politicians, judges, journalists, pseudo-NGOs, and political activists. We will eliminate the entire shadow army”. In widely criticised remarks, he also said: “After today’s celebrations comes the big Easter clean-up, as the bugs have survived the winter.”

The threats to “clean” the media and other sectors by the end of April come after a speech by the Prime Minister at the opening session of Parliament in February in which he said: “The corruption network that rules the entire Western world of politics and media must be eliminated,” adding that his government would “go to the wall” with the new laws.

Scott Griffen, Executive Director of the International Press Institute (IPI), said: “These recent comments by the Prime Minister mark a worrying turning point in the ongoing and systematic attack on independent journalism. The use of dehumanizing rhetoric to describe journalists and other civil society actors is alarming and dangerous and should be strongly condemned.

“Such open threats to eliminate media critics are shocking from the head of a European Union Member State. IPI is concerned that this language, used repeatedly by leading politicians in recent months, suggests a major crackdown on media that is deemed critical of the government.

“Any development of draft legislation to bolster the work of the already weaponised Sovereignty Protection Office in Hungary, if brought forward, would pose a major threat to much of the independent media operating in the country and should be opposed as strongly as possible by the European Union.”

Griffen sad that for too long the EU has failed to prevent the Orbán government’s efforts to control the country’s media that has led to an alarming erosion of media freedom and pluralism, with damaging implications for Hungarian democracy.

Hungary already has the most captured media landscape in the European Union (EU), as IPI has long documented. Over the past decade, the ruling party has gained an unprecedented influence over private and public media, allowing it to muzzle the independent press and distort the market to entrench a dominant pro-government narrative.

IPI has strongly criticised the operations of the Sovereignty Protection Office, a supposedly independent body headed by a Fidesz loyalist, which has over the previous year been instrumentalised to dial up pressure on media and others which receive foreign funding.

While the accusations against critical media of serving foreign interests had increased since the global suspension of USAID funding by the Trump administration, they are part of a longer campaign of delegitimization and stigmatisation of critical media by Fidesz.