Effective responses to crimes against journalists are only possible with systemic change: the creation of specialised police units, the use of court-admissible evidence collected by private investigators, and the implementation of unified standards for the protection of freedom of expression. These recommendations were at the centre of discussions held within the framework of the #JournalistsMatter Campaign, which brought together prosecutors, judges, journalists, media actors, representatives of state institutions and.
Ukrainian investigative journalist Liubov Velychko, whose participation was supported by the Council of Europe Project “Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Media in Ukraine”, shared her personal experience:
“As a Ukrainian investigative journalist who has faced threats, surveillance, and physical attacks, I believe that protecting journalists requires systemic and institutional solutions. I propose two steps for more effective investigations across Europe. First, national laws should clearly regulate private detective services, allowing media outlets to legally engage them in collecting evidence related to crimes against journalists – evidence that must be admissible in court. Second, national police forces should establish specialised units dedicated exclusively to such crimes… These reforms would signal genuine political will to protect journalists – not merely on paper, but in practice.”
Progress at national level was reviewed during the third annual meeting of national focal points of the #JournalistsMatter Campaign, which brought together stakeholders from across Europe to share results, challenges, and future plans.
Ganna Krasnostup, Director of the Department of Information Policy and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, and national focal point of the campaign, presented the country's achievements in 2024 and outlined priorities for 2025:
- communication campaigns to support the return of Ukrainian journalists from Russian captivity;
- strengthened access to public information during martial law;
- enhanced protection of journalists’ physical, digital, and psychological safety.
Discussions throughout the event reflected European standards, national experiences, and case law from the European Court of Human Rights. Participants included representatives of UNESCO, the European Court of Human Rights, Reporters Without Borders, national justice institutions, media actors, civil society and media community.
These outcomes were achieved during the annual #JournalistsMatter Campaign conference, which took place from 29 to 30 April 2025 in Luxembourg, in cooperation with Luxembourg’s Ministry of Justice and the Department of Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy, Council of Europe’s Division for Co-operation on Freedom of Expression, Democratic Institutions and Freedoms Department.
The Council of Europe Project “Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Media in Ukraine” (SFEM-UA) is implemented by the Council of Europe Division for Co-operation on Freedom of Expression in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026.
