On 22-23 June a seminar for police officers on protecting professional activities of journalists and freedom of speech was held with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe Joint Project “EU and Council of Europe working together to support freedom of media in Ukraine” and in partnership with the National Police and National Academy of Internal Affairs.

During the seminar, participants discussed, among others, international standards of criminal protection of journalists and the effectiveness of investigations of crimes against journalists.

“Protecting the safety of journalists and others who speak up on issues of public interest has been a key part of the Council of Europe’s work, reflected in the Council of Europe standards and ECtHR judgments as well as cooperation activities. The Council of Europe member states undertake the obligation to fully implement the European Convention on Human Rights and  abide by the judgments of the Court. The safety of journalists is guaranteed under several provisions of the Convention. The jurisprudence of the Court specifies member states’ obligations in all aspects, including the positive obligation to protect the safety of journalists”, Steen Nørlov, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, said.

Attacks on journalists and other media actors are particularly serious violations of human rights; as such, actions not only target individuals but also deprive others of their right to receive information.

The issues of establishing safe conditions for professional activities of journalists as well as investigation of crimes against journalists in Ukraine needs attention and efforts of all: law enforcement agencies, media, civil society, and international organisations.

Remi Duflot, Deputy Head of EU Delegation to Ukraine, said that protection of journalists is important not only for Ukraine as a country, but also protection of media freedom is linked to the fulfillment by Ukraine its commitments under the EU-Ukraine Association agreement.

Currently, the Council of Europe online Platform for the Protection of journalism and safety of journalists has 60 active alerts regarding threats to freedom of expression and the safety of journalists in Ukraine.

The protection of journalists in Ukraine requires setting it as a top priority. Despite some positive changes, we still witness a low effectiveness of investigations of crimes against journalists and media workers and de-facto impunity of these crimes.

The Joint Project “EU and Council of Europe working together to support freedom of media in Ukraine” has provided support and expertise for creation of a special training course on protection of journalists in cooperation with three specialized educational institutions including the National Academy of Internal Affairs. The course is expected to be included in the mandatory training and retraining program  for police officers.

Materials of the seminar are at the link: https://bit.ly/3wyJtap

Background information: The project «EU and Council of Europe working together to support freedom of media in Ukraine», funded by the EU and CoE, aims to enhance the role of media, its freedom and safety.

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