IJC Report: Better laws for press freedom, but poor enforcement and a record number of attacks on journalists in 2025

Since monitoring began in 2017, the Republic of Moldova recorded the highest number of attacks on journalists in 2025: 97 in total, or 47 per cent more than the previous year. At the same time, although the authorities have strengthened the legislative framework on press freedom, the protection of journalists, effective access to information of public interest and the oversight of restrictive measures have not improved to the same extent. These are the main findings set out in the “Alternative Report on the Rule of Law and Press Freedom in the Republic of Moldova”, launched on 29 July by the Independent Journalism Centre (IJC).

According to the IJC, the report represents a contribution by civil society to the European Union’s processes on the rule of law and enlargement. The document analyses legislation, public policies, institutional practices and incidents documented mainly during 2025, whilst also including relevant reforms and developments from the first half of 2026.

The analysis in the report focuses on five distinct areas: Of the areas analysed, the most evident progress has been made in the legal and institutional framework. In this regard, the report’s authors refer to the removal of mechanisms whereby Parliament’s rejection of annual reports could lead to the dismissal of members of the Broadcasting Council or the Supervisory Board of Teleradio-Moldova.

• the legal and institutional framework regarding press freedom;
• the safety of journalists and the authorities’ response to attacks;
• SLAPP suits and other forms of legal pressure;
• access to information of public interest;
• measures adopted to combat information manipulation and foreign interference, including the suspension of broadcasting licences and the blocking of websites.

Other positive developments identified relate to the regulation of state advertising, the strengthening of rules on ownership transparency in the audiovisual sector, and the drafting of the new media bill. However, the authors warn that the bill needs to be improved before its final adoption. It should more clearly delineate the powers of the Ministry of Culture, the Broadcasting Council and the Competition Council, and prevent the media providers’ register from becoming a mechanism for authorising journalistic activity.

Conversely, the safety of journalists was the area in which the poorest results were recorded in 2025. Of the 97 documented attacks, 77 consisted of non-physical pressure or cyber-attacks, 12 involved physical assaults or threats to life, liberty or health, and eight took the form of legal or economic pressure. A quarter of the incidents occurred in August and September 2025, against the backdrop of the parliamentary elections.

Based on its findings, the report sets out 27 recommendations addressed to Parliament, the Government, regulatory authorities, law enforcement bodies and institutions within the justice sector. These aim, amongst other things, to improve the draft Media Law, establish a coherent system of transparency regarding media ownership and funding, making the rapid protection mechanism for journalists operational, adopting and effectively implementing anti-SLAPP legislation, strengthening access to information of public interest, and ensuring prompt judicial review of measures to suspend, block or remove media content.