In May 2025, Finland organised its main national event under the Council of Europe’s Journalists Matter campaign, focusing on the annual theme of prosecution. The seminar brought together more than 150 participants from the judiciary, law-enforcement authorities, journalism, academia and civil society to discuss cooperation in promoting journalists’ safety and addressing impunity for crimes against media professionals.

The event featured a keynote address by Kari Kuusiniemi, President of the Supreme Administrative Court, on the relationship between the democratic rule of law and media freedom. Participants also benefited from a peer-learning presentation by Peter ter Velde on the Dutch PersVeilig model. A multi-stakeholder panel discussion explored challenges relating to the current legislative framework, interactions between journalists and the police, hate speech, online threats and possible responses to emerging risks. One of the panellists was a woman journalist who had personally experienced threats, contributing practical perspectives on the challenges faced by journalists.

The seminar contributed to strengthening dialogue between journalists and public authorities and helped sustain cooperation among key stakeholders throughout the year. Finnish representatives also participated in campaign activities at European level, including the thematic conference on effective prosecution and the Training of Trainers on SLAPPs organised under the campaign.

More: Frontpage - Journalistiliitto

Samenwerking met politie en OM is nieuw voor de Finnen - PersVeilig