UK MEDIA FREEDOM FORUM
The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), the Justice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) are pleased to announce that the second UK Media Freedom Forum will take place on Thursday, 05 and Friday, 06 March 2026, in partnership with City St George’s, University of London.
This two-day Forum will explore a number of themes impacting media freedom around the world, including the use of lawfare and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), transnational repression, misinformation and disinformation, and media literacy.
To register your interest and to receive updates about the Forum, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/Sh6FxLkjNmuu7paj6.
ATTACKS ON MEDIA WORKERS IN CRIMEA IN 2025
Together with the ZMINA Human Rights Centre, JFJ released its annual report on attacks on media workers in Crimea. In 2025, 27 cases of attacks and threats were documented against professional media workers, citizen journalists and media outlets, as well as Telegram channels and online activists. Key findings include:
- Even journalists working for central Russian media outlets faced prosecution for criticising local authorities or reporting on sensitive regional issues.
- Criminal and administrative prosecution remain the main method of attacks;
- Government authorities remain the primary source of threats to independent media workers.
EVENTS
- Londoners News recently published an article examining journalists’ safety. JFJ Trustee Vafa Fati-Zade spoke about the organisation’s origins, which was created after the murder of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic, and highlighted the rise of transnational repression as the most alarming trend facing journalists today.
- On 28 January, marking the 5th anniversary of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, 127 representatives from a wide cross-section of society co-signed an open letter sent to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, joining the Coalition’s call for anti-SLAPP provisions to be included in the next King’s Speech, expected in May.
NEWS FROM PARTNERS
- The European Court of Human Rights has found that the criminal conviction of Khadija Ismayilova, a renowned Azeri journalist and civil society activist, was baseless, unfair, and a violation of her right to freedom of expression. The Court has held that by bringing criminal charges against her, the Azeri authorities violated Articles 6, 7, 10, and 18 of the Convention.
- The European Parliament has published a study, Perpetrators and methods of transnational repression and possible counter strategies, that explores how transnational repression operates within the EU, identifying key perpetrators, methods and links to broader challenges such as foreign interference, disinformation, abuse of migration systems and hybrid threats. Focusing on case studies involving Russia, Iran and China, it reviews existing legal and policy responses in the EU and partner countries, and offers recommendations for EU institutions to counter these practices.
- Alma Economics, an independent research organisation, has been commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to conduct research on the safety of journalists working in the UK. The research aims to understand the prevalence, type and impact of safety concerns among journalists in the UK, including any form of harassment, abuse and threats, or legal intimidation, both online and offline, that may affect freedom or ability to carry out work, including those directed by a foreign state. Follow this link to participate in the survey.