The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) deplored that this year saw a string of unpredictable and volatile events that underscored the vulnerability of press freedom in through-out European Union (EU).
According to Tom Gibson, CPJ EU Representative, the The EU was tested like never before: from the forced landing of a Ryanair flight to Belarus so the regime could arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich, to the fall of Kabul that led to hundreds of Afghan journalists looking for EU support, to the EU’s inability to stop the mass imprisonment of journalists by the junta in Myanmar.
In Brussels, he said that the need for the European Union to step up on the international stage by challenging autocrats on their press freedom records has never been clearer. The picture is stark: more journalists are imprisoned globally than ever before, there is rampant impunity, and journalists are paying the ultimate price for reporting the news.
And while we thought press freedom in Hungary could hardly get any worse, he expressed concern over allegations that authorities used Pegasus software to spy on journalists: quite a revelation for an EU member state!
Throughout the year, he said, CPJ has continued to push EU institutions to prioritize press freedom, and has been banging the drum for journalists at risk.
‘We encouraged steps by the European Commission to strengthen media freedom by reinforcing the Rule of Law Mechanism to assess member states’ handling of domestic press freedom matters; we contributed to the journalist safety recommendation with clear proposals for protecting journalists in the EU; and we endorsed the pending European Media Freedom Act aimed at tackling threats to media organizations’ independence, which outlets around Europe face every day” he added.
Tom Gibson recalled that the EU also adopted a regulation on the export of dual-use surveillance technology by EU-based companies to prevent journalists from being targeted and surveilled because of their work. As journalists around the world face increasing digital threats, this is more important than ever.
“The EU is helping to frame our demands on paper, and now the question comes down to political will. These reforms allow us to address political leaders, like I did to Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela in October during a press freedom mission on the fourth anniversary of the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia”, he said.
Stating that Justice remains elusive in that important case, he said they will keep the pressure on Abela to demonstrate that his commitments will translate into real change in the new year.
As the world continues to grapple with COVID-19, he cautioned that authoritarian leaders will continue to bully journalists and crack down on press freedom, in 2022 also. “But we have every intention of rising to the challenge. We will continue to report on abuses, advocate for change, and support journalists at risk, and we look forward to your continued support in doing so” he asserted.
