On the occasion of International Press Freedom Day, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has criticized the fact that journalists were subjected to reprisals. “Journalism is not a crime and must not be a risk, sometimes life-threatening. We must ensure that information remain a public good,” he said. “Standing up and an engagement for a free press is a task for each one of us.”

The President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also campaigned for the protection of media workers. She emphasized the importance of independent media in the EU. One had recently been reminded painfully that freedom of the press cannot be taken for granted, she deplored.