Reporters Without Borders

Ljubljana – A group of 19 NGOs and associations advocating media and human rights urged the EU on Tuesday to “take decisive action to protect independent journalism” in Poland, Hungary and Slovenia. The call comes a day before a debate on threats to media freedom in the three countries to be held at the European Parliament.

Female journalists feel unsafe working in at least 40 countries, a new report released Monday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) concluded.

Most of the female journalists listed sexual harassment as the biggest issue they face in their home countries. Nearly 85% of the respondents said the harassment is common; 30% said it often leads to sexual assault.

Persistent corruption, restricted media freedom, the politicization of the judiciary, as well as other threats to the rule of law pose serious challenges to bilateral relations between the United States and Bulgaria.

"After I confirmed it with my sources, I reported the situation", Can, who at the time worked for the local Izmir newspaper Iz Gazete, told BIRN.

Pressed to name his sources, Can refused. Hours of questioning resulted in a charge of spreading fake news and causing panic. The case was dropped several months later, but Can's chilling experience was far from a one-off. 

Ljubljana – Two months after the expiration of public and commercial news service contracts between the STA and the government, which had previously been renewed annually, the STA restricted access to its news items for the government administration on Monday. Parliament Speaker Igor Zorčič believes the time has come for the matter to be resolved in court.

When COVID-19 stopped the world in its tracks, BIRN sought to provide its readers with fast, credible information on the pandemic, as well as shine a light on the state of digital rights in these unprecedented times.

Fugitive former judge Gholamreza Mansouri has been arrested in Romania over corruption charges pressed by Tehran, which is seeking his extradition, media reported.

Press freedom activists are demanding meanwhile that Mansouri be tried in Bucharest for allegedly ordering the arrest and torture of at least 20 journalists.

But rights groups and the opposition now fear a repeat of events in 2015. In that year, the Orban government introduced controversial "crisis" measures to stop an influx of migrants that are still in force today - despite the dramatic decline in the number of migrants and refugees coming to Hungary since then.

'Crisis' measures that risk becoming permanent:

The Vienna office of the Reporters Without Borders announced that the BIRN Network has been awarded for its courageous investigative journalism in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and for its dedication to the fight for human rights, democracy and justice for the victims of war crimes.

"And once again this thesis has emerged that authoritarian regimes which want to establish greater power are taking on those who have different opinions," Maksuti told BIRN.

Governments exploiting pandemic to curb media freedoms

A cyclist wearing protective mask passes in the almost empty Preseren square, in Ljubljana. Photo: EPA-EFE/IGOR KUPLJENIK.