The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has called on Russia to immediately release at least 26 Ukrainian journalists who are being illegally held in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
The corresponding resolution on the growing threats to media pluralism and the independence of the media was adopted by PACE on 30 September in Strasbourg, according to the organisation’s press release.
The document describes Russia’s war against Ukraine as the greatest threat to journalists in Europe. PACE stressed that journalists are civilians and are protected under international law, and that deliberate attacks on them and their killing are war crimes.
According to PACE, at least 26 Ukrainian media workers are being illegally held by Russia or in the occupied territories. The Assembly has previously also noted that many of them face fabricated criminal charges, torture and other rights violations.
The resolution specifically mentioned Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died after being held in Russian captivity. PACE called for those responsible for crimes against journalists to be brought to justice.
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The document also addresses the media situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. PACE drew attention to the seizure and closure of Ukrainian newsrooms, the persecution of journalists and the replacement of Ukrainian broadcasting with Russian propaganda.
Separately, the Assembly urged European states to counter Russian and Belarusian state media involved in war propaganda, support Ukrainian newsrooms and help facilitate investigations into crimes against journalists.
PACE also called for ensuring the editorial independence of the media, strengthening transparency of media ownership and considering the creation of a pan-European database of media owners. States are advised to review legislation that could be used to pressure journalists, including overly broad provisions on “fake news” or state secrets.