Call for independent investigation into Emilia Șercan case - Article

OBCT joins free expression organisations and media outlets in urging Romanian authorities to ensure that the legal cases concerning investigative journalist Emilia Șercan are handled independently and swiftly, following recent court decisions that exposed prosecutorial mishandling of the investigations

CASE Guidebook – How to prevent SLAPPs or get help if it's too late - Reports

The Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe - CASE - published a guidebook directed at NGOs, media outlets or individual authors helping them to navigate the perils of the SLAPP phenomenon

2024 rule of law report: media freedom organizations urge the EU to enforce stronger safeguards - Article

The Media Freedom Rapid Response welcomes the publication of the 2024 Rule of Law. Despite progress in some areas, the report shows that press freedom remains under threat in Europe. We urge Member States and the European Union to intensify their efforts to uphold media freedom, and reinforce their roles in safeguarding this pillar of democracy

Silencing the Fourth Estate: Italy’s Democratic Drift - Reports

The Media Freedom Rapid Response published the final report of the advocacy mission that took place in May 2024 in Rome

Albania: freedom of the press crushed by the weight of politics - Article

Almost non-existent professional ethics, capture of the media by politics and financial unsustainability are just some of the main issues that make the Albanian media landscape particularly alarming. An interview

By Luisa Chiodi

Originally published on OBCT , also available in ITA

Press freedom in Italy: those in power are not to be criticised - Article

In 2021, then opposition leader Giorgia Meloni sued Roberto Saviano for defamation. Last October, the Rome Criminal Court issued a sentence against the Italian writer. A ruling that alarmed Italian and European civil society. We had a conversation about it with Antonio Nobile, Saviano's lawyer

By Sielke Kelner 

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation and their global relevance: recent developments and persisting gaps in human rights law and in (EU)... - Reports

This academic article examines SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) through both human rights and private international law, in light of the 2024 EU Anti-SLAPP Directive

2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bosnia and Herzegovina - Reports

The 2023 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina provides a thorough examination of human rights cases and violations occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina throughout last year

Media in Albania, under the blows of power - Article

The recent angry attack by the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama against a journalist has brought the constant pressure and intimidation that the power in Albania exerts on the media and media professionals back under the spotlight

By  Erion Gjatolli

Originally published by OBCT, also available in ITA

Silencing Voices in Italy: The Erosion of Media Freedom - Article

Italy's media is in crisis, battling legal onslaughts and facing a surge of censorship one year after the establishment of the far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni

By Sielke Kelner

(Originally published by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung , 16.01.2024)