On 9 April, the Department for the Execution of Judgments participated in the event “Safety of Journalists and Other Media Actors in Ukraine in the Context of Martial Law”. The event was organised in the context of the Council of Europe Project "Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Media in Ukraine" (SFEM-UA), in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine under the aegis of the Council of Europe Campaign for the Safety of Journalists “Journalists Matter”.
The Department discussed with the participants the measures required for the execution of the Gongadze v. Ukraine case which concerns different issues linked to the protection of the safety of journalists and other media actors, notably the need to strengthen domestic capacity of specialised investigations into allegations of offences committed against journalists; the Sedletska v. Ukraine case concerning an interference with the journalist’s right to the protection of her sources; and the Centre for Democracy and the Rule of Law v. Ukraine group of cases, which concerns the disproportionate refusal of the authorities to provide an NGO and journalists with the information requested.
Participants underlined that addressing various problems encountered by journalists and other media actors in exercising their public watchdog functions, as revealed in the abovementioned cases and in compliance with the Council of Europe standards, is of vital importance in times of war.
