MFRR submission for the European Commission Recommendations on the…

MFRR submission for the European Commission Recommendations on the Safety of Journalists

Following the European News Media Forum, the MFRR drafted a submission to the European Commission as part of their proposed Recommendations on the Safety of Journalists.

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) submitted information and recommendations to the European Commission concerning the safety of journalists and media workers. The submission will feed into a recommendation by the European Commission to the Member States announced in the European Democracy Action Plan, which will seek to ensure better and targeted implementation of a number of requirements set out in the Council of Europe’s Recommendation on the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists.

The MFRR and its partners provide in-depth expertise in this submission, which we hope will help to ensure that the European Commission’s recommendation contributes to demonstrable improvements to the safety of journalists and media workers on the ground.

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MFRR submission to the UN on the impact of…

MFRR submission to the UN on the impact of COVID-19 measures on safety and work of journalists

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) together with ARTICLE 19, Free Press Unlimited and OBC Transeuropa as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), submitted recommendations to the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) concerning the impact of government measures against COVID-19 on the safety and work of journalists and media workers.

Across the MFRR region, government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have had various direct and indirect negative effects on the safety and work of journalists and media workers, amounting to a significant negative impact on media freedom.

While the pandemic has brought specific problems that require tailored responses, it has also served to highlight and at times exacerbate existing threats to the safety of journalists and media workers and their ability to do their job. The pandemic has been exploited by state actors to target critical and independent reporting.

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Submission to Public Inquiry into the Assassination of Daphne…

Submission to Public Inquiry into the Assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia

Coordinated by the MFRR, this submission to the ongoing public inquiry details Malta’s relevant international obligations to uphold freedom of expression, the threats Daphne Caruana Galizia faced during her lifetime which paved the way for her assassination and continuing threats to the safety of journalists in Malta.

A coalition of nine freedom of expression and media freedom organisations, led by ARTICLE 19, made a submission to the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Since its establishment in December 2019, our organisations have closely monitored and participated in the work of the independent Board of Inquiry, including by providing in person testimony and observing the proceedings.

The submission details Malta’s relevant international obligations to uphold freedom of expression, the threats Daphne Caruana Galizia faced during her lifetime which paved the way for her assassination and continuing threats to the safety of journalists in Malta.

It is our hope that the evidence gathered by the Public Inquiry will prevent other journalists being killed in Malta and beyond. The findings of the Public Inquiry may therefore be of global importance in battling impunity for crimes against journalists. In particular in the jurisdiction of the European Convention on Human Rights on which the Public Inquiry is based, the Public Inquiry may establish a crucial precedent for ensuring justice for assassinated journalists.