Short news

Project Gutenberg blocked in Italy: many doubts, few certainties

27/05/2020

The popular website that publishes books in public domain has been blocked in Italy, perhaps confused with those that illegally distribute newspapers in PDF. A brief recap

Journalists and media workers need to be protected when covering demonstrations and protests

11/05/2020

Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners are concerned about the increased violence against media professionals at protests and demonstrations across EU Member States and Candidate Countries in the last months and call for increased protection

Turkey: 24 rights groups call for release of all those arbitrarily detained, now at risk of Covid-19

21/04/2020

The Turkish government continues to ignore international voices calling for justice and respect of human rights, and has excluded human rights defenders, journalists and politicians from the benefits of the recent law that allows 90,000 prisoners to go home. Together with other 23 international groups, OBCT urges the authorities to move now to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

Here the full text of the call we signed

Open letter: the EU must not sit idly by while a Member State’s democracy is in jeopardy

20/04/2020

OBCT joined other over 80 MEPs and civil society groups in signing a letter sent to the presidents of the European Commission and Council: we call on European institutions to condemn every measure abusing the emergency situation to dismantle democracy and silence civil society. Here the text of the letter

Turkey: Rights groups call for urgent release of imprisoned journalists, human rights defenders and others, now at risk of Covid-19

31/03/2020

Together with other human rights groups and organizations, OBCT calls on the Turkish government to include journalists and human rights defenders in the release of thousands of prisoners from overcrowded prisons: the novelist Ahmet Altan and the businessman Osman Kavala are among those who would not be released as they are detained for terrorism related crimes

Media and COVID-19: the risk of restrictions on media freedom

24/03/2020

The Council of Europe and media freedom international organisations call on European States to defend independent journalistic work and not to exploit the Coronavirus crisis to further limit free access to information

COVID-19: no one is safe until all are protected!

19/03/2020

Dozens of activists from South Eastern European countries, under the name of "Transbalkan Solidarity Group", have launched an appeal to the European Union, the Commission, the governments of EU member states and the Balkan countries, in order to safeguard refugees and migrants without any discrimination or esclusion

Turkey, an international call to end advertising ban on Evrensel

16/03/2020

Together with other 23 international media freedom organisations, OBCT calls on the General Director of BIK to swiftly lift the advertising ban currently imposed on Evrensel, an independent newspaper now risking an economic collapse. Here the text of the call

The European Parliament must intervene to stop violence and human rights violations at the EU-Turkey border

12/03/2020

Many European organisations have made an appeal to the European Parliament in order to stop violence and the use of force against defenseless people at the EU-Turkey border and to restore legality and respect for human rights, including the right to asylum

EU funds a Rapid Response Mechanism to defend media freedom

04/03/2020

OBC Transeuropa, together with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom and other partners, starts Rapid Response Mechanism to support independent journalism. The project is co-funded by the European Commission