According to the Council of Europe’s 2023 report on press freedom, two journalists died while covering the war in Ukraine, a figure substantially lower than the 13 deaths in 2022. 120 journalists remain detained, including Pablo González.
The physical and psychological attacksincluding murders, journalists in Europe They decreased during 2023, according to the latest report from the Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism. On the other hand, arrests and incarcerations increased. Last year 120 journalists they remained detained, the majority in Belarus (38) and Russia (27). To them we must add the only journalist imprisoned in an EU country, the Basque Pablo Gonzálezalready Julian Assangewho remains imprisoned in the United Kingdom.
The platform, made up of fifteen NGOs that defend information professionals, notes a drop in the number of deaths of journalists and violence against the press, although it has warned of “a growing diversity of threats, pressures and limitations under the which journalists must carry out their mission.
According to the platform’s count, last year two journalists died when they were covering the war in Ukraine, both due to Russian bombings, and several were injured, a substantially lower number than the 13 deaths recorded the previous year. The death of another media worker in Europe was also recorded, specifically a security guard for Top Channel TV in Albaniawhen this television was attacked.
Attacks on the physical and mental integrity of journalists constitute just over a quarter of actions against press freedom, and despite the increase in 2013, arrests and imprisonments do not reach 17%. In total, during 2023, 285 alerts were published for serious threats or attacks against freedom of information, a figure similar to the 289 in the previous year.
On the other hand, the authors of the report, entitled “It is time to reverse the trend”, recall that they have used spy software (specifically cited Pegasus) against journalists in the Spanish and French states, in the United Kingdom, in Turkey, in Hungary, in Greece and in Azerbaijan. In this sense, the platform has asked member countries to stop using this type of device.
In his opinion, the States of the Council of Europe “must refrain from illegally deploying spy programs against journalists” and comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, which requires them that if they resort to these systems it must be done legally out of necessity. and proportionality.
Source: Eitb
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