Coalition calls for effective implementation as the Parliament adopts the EMFA - Article

OBCT, as part of the EU Media Advocacy Working Group, welcomes the adoption of the European Media Freedom Act by the European Parliament and calls for an effective implementation of the new regulation

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.

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)

Trudeau against Facebook: social media, copyright, and information - Article

In protest against the new Canadian law that requires social media to pay news organisations every time a user shares a link, Facebook has blocked access to news portals, earning the condemnation of Prime Minister Trudeau. In Europe, meanwhile, new regulations are on their way on the removal of content, advertising, and disinformation

By Paola Rosà

Originally published by OBCT in ENG and ITA

BiH: Republika Srpska reintroduces the crime of defamation - Article

On Thursday 20 July, the People's Assembly of the Republika Srpska adopted the Law on Amendments to the Crimial Code envisaging criminalization of defamation. Calls from international and local actors to protect freedom of speech and withdraw the scandalous provision that qualifies defamation as a criminal offense have gone unheeded

By Arman Fazlić

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA and BHS

Slavko Curuvija: impunity of the deep state in the case of murdered journalists in Serbia - Article

24 years after the murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, the perpetrators are still unpunished in Serbia. Although there is finally progress and hopefully the case will be finally solved, impunity remains widespread

By Massimo Moratti

Originally published by OBCT

SLAPPs in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Article

Also in Bosnia and Herzegovina one of the major obstacles to the exercise of the journalistic profession is represented by the so-called SLAPPs, lawsuits seeking to silence or limit the work of journalists and civil rights activists

By Arman Fazlić

Originally published by OBCT, also available in ITA and BHS

Call on Turkish authorities to abstain from further restrictions on media in the aftermath of devastating earthquakes - Article

The undersigned partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) express their condolences with the victims of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and reiterate the need for a free media atmosphere as a crucial element of all disaster relief processes

25th Anniversary of the Mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom on the Media – Can there be security without media freedom? - Reports

“Can there be security without media freedom?'' is a report published by the office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom on the Media. The scope of this document is to analyse the impact of technology on the media ecosystem and the challenges to overcome. The report formulates a list of recommendations directed to strengthening media freedom, human rights, democracy, and security in the years to come

Liberties Rule of Law Report 2022 - Reports

The Liberties Rule of Law Report 2022 is the third annual report on the state of rule of law in the European Union, presenting country and trend reports on democratic records by civil society organisations across the European Union. Published by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, it provides information and analysis from the ground of the state of the rule of law in 17 EU countries