News

Malta: need to amend a legal notice about privacy

07/12/2021

We co-signed a letter to Malta authorities concerning the possibility to erase personal data from court decisions: the principle of publicity of court proceedings, including the verdict, as protected under European human rights law and extensively developed in the European Court of Human Rights’ jurisprudence, is an essential means for realising the right to a fair trial and maintaining public confidence in the judiciary

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Shape the DSA so it can empower all users to act against wrongful platform decisions

04/12/2021

We co-signed an open letter to Members of the European Parliament promoted by EU DisinfoLab and HateAid concerning the need to fix asymmetries between users and platforms

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Serbia: MFRR welcomes renewed convictions for murder of Slavko Ćuruvija

03/12/2021

We joined our MFRR partners in welcoming the confirmed guilty verdicts for the murder in 1999 of journalist and editor-in-chied Slavko Ćuruvija. The decision represents an important step in the long fight against impunity for the killing of journalists in Serbia

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Serbia: Penal Code amendments require open and comprehensive debate

02/12/2021

We co-signed a statement calling for a broader and open consultation on the amendments of the Penal Code proposed by the Ministry of Justice

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Poland: journalist’s criminal defamation conviction may further impair freedom of expression

01/12/2021

MFRR partners stand in solidarity with Polityka journalist Ewa Siedlecka, who has been convicted of criminal defamation. Amid the ongoing erosion of media freedom in Poland, there is a justified fear that this verdict might pave the way for a wider criminalisation of expressing an opinion based on information present in the public space

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MFRR to hold press freedom mission to Greece

29/11/2021

The Media Freedom Rapid Response will hold an online fact-finding mission to Greece in the first half of December to assess increasing concerns about media freedom and the safety of journalists in the country

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Poland: Journalist must not be jailed for refusing to disclose source

29/11/2021

The undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today call on the District Prosecutor's Office in the Polish city of Gdansk to drop its legal case against Gazeta Wyborcza reporter Katarzyna Włodkowska and to respect the journalist’s right of source confidentiality protected under the European Convention of Human Rights

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Nineteen organisations condemn the lawsuits brought against Catherine Belton and HarperCollins, deeming them “SLAPPs”

25/11/2021

The undersigned organisations express their serious concern at the legal proceedings that are being brought against journalist and author Catherine Belton and her publisher HarperCollins

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Slovenia: Concerns over controversial changes to RTV programming

25/11/2021

The undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today express concern over proposed modifications to news programming at the Slovenian public television RTV, which would reduce the broadcaster’s ability to inform the public and scrutinise power. We therefore urge the broadcaster’s management to enter into dialogue with its editorial board to ensure adjustments are proportionate and in the best interest of public interest reporting

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Poland: Journalists must be allowed access to Belarus border

19/11/2021

Since early September, access to the border with Belarus is denied to journalists. MFRR partners urge the Polish authorities to immediately allow journalists to re-enter the border zone, stressing the fact that the free and uninterrupted flow of information at the border is vital

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