Media freedom at lowest point in 25 years
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns that media freedom is in its worst situation in 25 years with more than half the world's countries now classified in the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom. Marking World Press Freedom […]
AEJ joins call for repeal of Turkey’s “disinformation law”
The AEJ International has joined 25 media freedom, freedom of expression, journalists’, and human rights groups to protest against Turkey’s increasing use of its "disinformation law" used to arrest and prosecute journalists – and to call for its repeal.The […]
History lessons – and their limits and virtues – June 4
The AEJ UK will host eminent historian and commentator Michael Burleigh at a meeting on June 4.He will survey today’s heated rivalries between America, China, Russia and Europe, drawing on his lifelong writings about great power relationships and their […]
AEJ International debate on the Hungarian election
On April 13th, the AEJ International organised a Zoom-conference about the outcome of the Parliamentary elections in Hungary which also have a major European dimension. It was a defeat of an autocratic, corrupt, anti-European and pro-Russian regime established by […]
Media Freedom in 2025 – On the Tipping Point
Press freedom in Europe in 2025 was "under sustained pressure, driven by legal threats, attempts at media capture and transnational repression" notes the annual Media Freedom Report of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform.And "this pressure was […]
AEJ joins public call for BBC World Service to be “defended not defunded”
The AEJ and eight other organisations have called on UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to end uncertainty over the government’s future funding of the BBC World Service. Current funding arrangements are due to run out at the end of […]
The AEJ UK
The AEJ UK is part of a professional network of journalists and specialists active across Europe, independent of any institutional or political group and recognised by the Council of Europe, the OSCE and UNESCO. We connect the newsmakers who shape our political and economic world with journalists, broadcasters and writers on European affairs. Meetings are open to journalists, academics and Europe specialists […]
Will a “Far-Right France” lead to a far-right Europe?
Once a pariah, France's Rassemblement National (National Rally) is now the country's most popular party and looks on track to win the presidency in 2027 — or perhaps sooner. To examine this and the […]
Spice Ports – beginnings of global trade
As U.S. President Donald Trump roiled the global trade order through 2025, the AEJ UK notes a timely book by AEJ member Nicholas Nugent on the beginnings of global sea trade to the West.The […]
The challenge of AI
Lawmakers and the media are racing to catch up with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, an enormous challenge with billions being invested in AI. On October 28 the AEJ UK hosted a panel […]
Media Freedom
“Why don’t we live up to our promises?”
Marking World Press Freedom Day, the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) hosted an online seminar on media freedom in the Commonwealth.Headlined "Why don't we live up […]
AEJ joins statement on media freedom in Turkey
The AEJ joined seven journalists associations in a statement on media freedom in Turkey as the world marked World Press Freedom Day and the release […]
Is Europe’s unique press freedom monitoring mechanism working?
By William Horsley, AEJ UK chairman A bold experimentThe Safety of Journalists Platform www.coe.int/fom is the world’s first continent-wide accountability mechanism for monitoring, reporting and protecting the safety of […]
News
Palestine Action activists found guilty in Bristol break-in
Four of 6 activists for Palestine Action were found guilty of criminal damage over a break-in at an Israeli-linked defence company after a retrial.In a retrial that ended on 5 May, one of the four was also found guilty in an 11-1 majority verdict of inflicting grievous bodily harm – but cleared of the more serious […]
UK government ban on Palestine Action ruled unlawful
Three judges of the UK High Court have ruled that the government's ban of Palestine Action is illegal. The judgment on Friday 13 February 2026 agreed to a legal challenge from Palestine Action to the government's proscription on two of four grounds:- there was “a very significant interference” with the UK Human Rights Act's entitlement to […]
Europe’s human rights commissioner calls out UK protest laws
Europe's human rights watchdog has raised concerns about the policing of protests in the UK following arrests over the government ban on Palestine Action and says current UK laws “impose excessive limits on freedom of assembly and expression". Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, said the UK's current legal framework risks "overpolicing” […]
Ukraine analysis
Blackout – A letter from Kyiv
Russia has continued its relentless missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, particularly its infrastructure, despite telling U.S. President Donald Trump it wants peace.We have this […]
Dark storklings – another letter from Kyiv
It was ironic – or entirely appropriate – that President Volodymyr Zelensky was trying to walk a diplomatic and existential tightrope over Ukraine's future on […]
A letter from Kyiv
Kateryna Popova recently returned to her native Ukraine after completing an MA in War Studies in London where she joined meetings of the AEJ UK. […]
