On the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the Group of Friends for the Safety of Journalists and Media Freedom delivered a statement in Strasbourg reaffirming their commitment to protecting journalists and promoting media freedom within the Council of Europe framework:
Group of Friends for the Safety of Journalists and Media Freedom: Intervention on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists 2nd November 2025
1 834 journalists have been killed worldwide since 1993 according to the UNESCO Observatory of killed journalists. 90 % of these killings remain judicially unresolved. In addition to that, journalists worldwide continue to face a wide range of attacks and threats including intimidation, detention, restrictive laws, repressive activities conducted abroad, SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation), media capture, attacks on public service media, online harassment, as well as attacks on journalists’ integrity. Impunity is the greatest obstacle to ensuring the safety of journalists. Every act of violence that goes uninvestigated and unpunished is an open invitation for further violence. Governments, civil society, the media, and everyone concerned with upholding the rule of law, are therefore today, and every other day of the year, asked to join in the global efforts to end impunity for crimes against journalists.
In 2025, as in previous years, impunity for crimes against journalists has persisted in Europe. As the latest report of the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists underlines, “the impunity of journalists’ murderers and their sponsors continued to be one of the major threats to journalist safety as it is tantamount to a ‘license to kill’.” The Platform currently records 32 unresolved cases out of 51 killings of media workers. And again, in 90 % of cases, the perpetrators have not been brought to justice.
In 2024, the first cases of AI-generated disinformation campaigns directly targeting journalists were recorded and documented on the Platform. Such campaigns, as well as deep-fake videos and automated harassment, are increasingly being used to discredit journalists and erode public trust in media. Online harassment, particularly targeting women journalists, urgently needs to be addressed. As these technologies become more sophisticated and easily accessible, the role of journalism in combating disinformation and verifying facts becomes even more crucial. Policymakers must include AI governance in broader media protection strategies.
In 2024, the Platform introduced a new category of alerts: systemic obstacles to media freedom. This category highlights structural issues having a chilling effect on media freedom and journalists’ safety in member states. The first set of systemic alerts, issued in September 2024, addressed defamation laws and practices, and was complemented in 2025 by alerts on threats to public service media. To date, 19 systemic alerts are active on the Platform. We welcome this new tool and call on all member states to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Platform partners to address these issues.
While both technological and geopolitical developments over the last year highlight pressing challenges to press freedom, The Council of Europe has also demonstrated resilience and collective action. Collective measures have fostered a more favourable environment for protecting press freedom and ensuring journalists’ safety. We will continue to support the Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists, as well as engage constructively in the Council of Europe's campaign 'Journalists Matter'. However, implementation at the national level remains inconsistent and, in many cases, has yet to commence. We therefore call on the Member States to translate the objective to which they committed to in Reykjavik into national action plans and mobilise the necessary resources to implement them.
We reiterate that the right of journalists to practice their profession freely and safely is crucial to protect our democracies, human rights, and the rule of law. Protecting journalists should therefore be a collective responsibility and a principle we can all adhere to as Member States of the Council of Europe – within our own borders and beyond. We also recall that the intimidation of media in Russia continues, and that in two years too many journalists and media workers in Gaza have lost their lives.
This statement is delivered on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Council of Europe on the Safety of Journalists and Media Freedom in Strasbourg, which consists of the following Member States: Austria, France, Greece, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The following other countries align with this statement: Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Monaco, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Spain, Ukraine.
