SPOTLIGHT

Speak out for media freedom in the Western Balkans

As Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to the Western Balkans got underway, we joined partners in urging her to raise concerns about the deteriorating state of media freedom with authorities, and make clear the urgent need to ensure the safety of journalists in the region.

The escalating crisis in Serbia is of particular concern. Since January 2024, the Mapping Media Freedom platform has registered 381 alerts affecting 617 journalists and media workers in the six countries of the Western Balkans – a stark 222 cases were registered in Serbia alone.

Since the beginning of the student-led protests in November 2024, we have highlighted the growing attacks on the press, the systemic failure to protect journalists, and the persistence of Russian propaganda, including the outlet RT Balkan’s launch of a new TV channel.

We have urged the European Commission to send a clear signal to Belgrade, and pointed out potential damage these attacks could have on the European Union enlargement process and on citizens’ right to access quality information. The Media Freedom Rapid Response mission to Belgrade and Novi Sad in April 2025 explicitly raised alarm about the crisis, and issued urgent recommendations to the Serbian authorities and the European Commission.

Since this call for action, pressure on independent reporting and media freedom has only worsened.

Elsewhere in the region, authorities in the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina have re-criminalised defamation, adopted a foreign agent law, and greatly reduced funding for independent media.

Pressures on public broadcasters, private outlets and media authorities in Albania and Kosovo, together with politicians’ attempts to restrict media access to them, underscore the serious dangers posed to journalists’ right to inform and citizens’ right to information in those countries.

As freedom of expression advocates, we urged President von der Leyen to send a strong message to the region, and the wider world, affirming the European Union’s commitment to freedom of expression. This must be followed up by clear demands, calling on authorities to protect independent media and journalists. We will continue to urge her to do so, and call on other governments in the region to take the needed steps to put these safeguards in place.

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Working for an inclusive information society that benefits all

On Tuesday, Anna Oosterlinck, ARTICLE 19’s Senior Advisor on Global Advocacy, intervened at the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) +20 Virtual Stakeholder Consultations. It’s a unique opportunity for representatives from governments, the tech community, civil society, and academia to exchange views at a pivotal moment for our information ecosystem as it faces dramatic change and challenges.  

For the first time in the 20 years since the launch of WSIS, proposals are underway, through the zero draft of the Outcome Document, to explicitly anchor the WSIS framework in international human rights law, underlining that the world needs human rights-based digital governance now more than ever.  

As part of our written submission to the process, ARTICLE 19 proposed ways to further strengthen human rights safeguards, based on existing Member States’ obligations and commitments. Due to our consistent advocacy, some of these proposals have been adopted by coalitions comprising of civil society partners and other stakeholders from the tech and academic communities. These proposals include:  

• Refraining from or cease using digital technologies that are fundamentally incompatible with international human rights law, and strengthening human rights safeguards in Digital Public Infrastructure; data governance; and AI governance.

  
  

• All human rights need to be protected across the full lifecycle, from pre-conceptualisation to trade and transfer, of all digital technologies – with gender equality and digital inclusion underpinning all efforts.  

  
  

• Affirm universal and meaningful connectivity as an essential enabler to enjoy all human rights.

  
  

• Underline the importance of free, independent, plural, and diverse media so our democracies can survive and thrive, with strong protections for encryption and anonymity so journalists and human rights defenders can work safely.

  
  

• Addressing the unprecedented concentration of power in digital markets, as a handful of companies now disproportionately control and shape our digital economy, having a significant impact on our ability to exercise our rights to speak and to know.

ARTICLE 19 will continue its years-long advocacy efforts throughout the WSIS+20 review process. We will follow the upcoming negotiations on the zero draft of the Outcome Document, working behind the scenes to further our advocacy priorities.

Coming soon: ARTICLE 19 joins ICANN 84 – bringing governments, tech experts, and civil society together to discuss the future of a secure global internet.