World Press Freedom Day May 3: statement by Parliament committee chairs

To mark World Press Freedom Day, the chairs of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Home Affairs and Justice (LIBE) Javier Zarzalejos (EPP, ES), Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) Mounir Satouri (Greens/EFA, FR), and Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS) Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, FR) issued the following statement: “Against the backdrop of an alarming rise in attacks and threats against journalists, our committees strongly condemn any attempts to undermine press freedom through physical violence, arbitrary detention, online harassment, acts of intimidation, or murder. Press freedom, enshrined in Article 11 of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, is an inalienable right and a cornerstone of the European project. The European Union must stand firm against impunity and denounce the misuse of defamation laws, the abuse of surveillance technologies, and the rise in the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) to silence journalists. Such violations must be investigated and perpetrators prosecuted by the relevant national and international judicial authorities, including the International Criminal Court (ICC). We must never turn a blind eye to crimes committed against journalists. Our committees have highlighted the importance of safeguarding women journalists, who often suffer most in hostile contexts and frequently face gender-based violence in their...