A new interactive guide for States on protecting journalists and media actors was released by the Council of Europe on the eve of the International Press Freedom Day.

Violence against journalists is on the rise across Council of Europe member States as reported on the Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists. Attacks are getting more severe and include, in some cases, murders and car bombs, as well as other forms of physical violence and threats. The Implementation guide to the Recommendation on the Protection of journalism and the safety of journalists aims to provide member States with concrete responses to the question what can and should be done to protect journalists and other media actors.

It does so by providing more context to the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation, including references to the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and to other sources. More importantly, it showcases concrete valuable practices in the area and makes suggestions for implementation of the Recommendation, with a view to removing the issue of safety and impunity from the realm of mere theory and projecting it into actionable measures. A self-assessment tool offered by Implementation guide is intended to help member States objectively review the state of implementation of the Recommendation in their respective jurisdictions.