Hungary: Foreign funding bill poses most serious threat to independent media in years - Article

OBCT joins MFRR partners in urging the EU to take action against Hungary’s proposed foreign funding bill, which poses a serious threat to freedom of expression and media freedom

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

Further alarm about the deepening press freedom crisis: revelations showing evidence of the abuse of advanced Pegasus spyware

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

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.

Press freedom groups in solidarity with journalists and media in Georgia - Article

The undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression, media, journalists and human rights organisations express solidarity towards journalists and media in Georgia

Self-defence against SLAPPs in Serbia - Article

In Serbia, the investigative newspaper KRIK is the target of frequent legal harassment. To counteract it, the editorial team has developed strategies based on civil society solidarity, public denunciation and monitoring of trials

By Massimo Moratti

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA.

Turkey: condemnations for regulator’s decision to shutter Açık Radyo - Article

Press freedom and freedom of expression groups, media outlets and civil society condemn regulator’s decision to shutter Açık Radyo

The EU must prioritise media freedom and human rights in Türkiye - Article

Call on the new European Commission and the new European Parliament to strengthen their commitment in their relations with Türkiye

Independence of Slovakia’s leading TV news channel must be protected - Article

OBCT joins the undersigned members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in expressing concern about the actions of the Slovak government towards Slovakia’s leading commercial broadcaster, TV Markíza, aimed at silencing its critical journalism. We call on Markíza’s owners, the Central European Media Enterprises (CME), to resist the pressure and guarantee the editorial independence of the newsroom

Italy: MFRR partners strongly condemn investigation into Domani journalists - Article

OBCT and MFRR partners note with concern that Italian press freedom has fallen under renewed pressure. We call for the preliminary investigation of three Domani journalists to be immediately dropped, and we urge Italian authorities to respect the confidentiality of journalistic sources in line with international and European press freedom standards

Slovakia: Lack of justice for Kuciak and Kušnírová’s assassination exacerbated by growing attacks on press freedom - Article

On the sixth anniversary of the brutal killing of investigative reporter Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, the undersigned organisations renew our call for long-awaited justice for their killings and the imperative to break the cycle of impunity.