News Mfrr

Impunity Day: MFRR renews urgent call for justice for murdered journalists around Europe

03/11/2025

To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) honours the memory of those who have lost their lives in the pursuit of truth and demands justice for the crimes committed against them

Report: Fragile media freedom progress in Bulgaria at risk of backsliding without urgent reform

29/10/2025

The partner organisations of the Council of Europe's Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response have released the media freedom report on Bulgaria following a three-day fact-finding mission that took place from 24 to 26 September

Media freedom, a prerequisite for EU enlargement

28/10/2025 -  Serena Epis

To advance in their European integration path, Western Balkan candidate countries must ensure media freedom and pluralism. For Montenegro and North Macedonia, this means moving beyond formal commitments and proving through concrete actions that democratic reforms are more than words on paper

Car bomb attack on investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci rings alarm for media freedom in Italy

17/10/2025

OBCT joins the undersigned journalists and media freedom organisations in strongly condemning the car bomb attack on one of Italy’s leading investigative journalist and his family. We welcome the opening of an investigation by the Anti-Mafia Investigation Division and call for an urgent assessment of the effectiveness of the protective measures applied to the journalist

Call on President von der Leyen to address media freedom crisis in the Western Balkans

13/10/2025

Against the backdrop of a rapidly worsening media freedom crisis across the region, most prominently in Serbia, a coalition of international media freedom, journalists’ and freedom of expression organizations calls on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to raise the threats to the protection of journalists and media pluralism with the respective authorities during her visit to the Western Balkans this week (13-16 October)

A call on Italy to suspend EU-Israel Association Agreement

30/09/2025

OBCT joined other free expression organizations in addressing the Italian leadership, calling for the suspension of the EU–Israel Association Agreement

Bulgaria: Press Freedom Undermined by Political Polarisation and Delayed Reforms

26/09/2025

Media freedom in Bulgaria faces entrenched challenges in a climate of political polarisation and legislative inertia, with urgent action needed by government and public authorities to push forward both domestic and EU-mandated reforms, a coalition of international press freedom organisations said today

Bulgaria: Mission to examine media freedom and independent journalism

23/09/2025

OBCT joins international coalition for media freedom mission to Bulgaria

Open Letter on Improving Journalists’ Access to the Albanian Parliament

19/09/2025

MFRR partners and free expression organizations urge the Albanian Parliament to drop plans restricting journalists’ access and to protect media freedom

Ukraine: Demand for justice from Russia one year after death of Victoria Roshchyna

19/09/2025

September 19 marks one year since the death of Victoria Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist who had been held for over a year in Russian captivity. On this day, MFRR partners remember Victoria and demand justice for her death from Russian authorities