STRASBOURG – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution demanding immediate action to secure the release of all journalists detained in contravention of international law, including 26 named Ukrainian journalists currently held in Russian detention facilities.
The systematic abduction and mistreatment of professional and citizen journalists started with the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, and some of these journalists have been in Russian captivity for almost ten years. This can be seen as a systematic campaign against media freedom in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Parliamentary Assembly resolution describes that “Since the start of the full-scale war of aggression in February 2022, over 800 crimes against media and media personnel have been documented as committed by the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation has killed 108 media professionals since 24 February 2022: 12 died while reporting, 96 died as combatants or were killed by Russian shelling or torture. Despite displaying their “PRESS” identification, they are sometimes deliberately targeted by military fire. Investigative journalists are facing an increase in targeted attacks against them, both physical and online.”
A War Against Truth
“This war is also a war against truth, and as such free media and journalists are treated as enemies by the aggressor,” states the report prepared by parliamentarian Ms Yevheniia Kravchuk, who is representing Ukraine at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The resolution and its report details how journalists have been subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance, with many facing fabricated charges including espionage and extremism.
The case of Victoria Roshchyna has become emblematic of the dangers faced by journalists covering the conflict. The 27-year-old Ukrainian reporter died in September 2024 after more than a year in Russian custody. When her body was returned to Ukraine in February 2025, forensic examination revealed evidence of torture, including broken ribs, electrocution marks, and missing vital organs.
In addressing her colleagues in the Assembly, Ms Yevheniia Kravchuk stated “she was brought to Ukraine in a plastic bag, with some vital organs missing, without brain, without trachea, without eyeballs. And we assumed that it might be the signs that the cause of the death was trying to be hidden in this way.”
The Assembly with the new Resolution has established an annual “Victory for Victoria” commemoration to honor journalists killed in conflict zones.
Legal Obligations Ignored
The resolution emphasizes that under international humanitarian law, journalists in conflict zones are considered civilians and are protected under the Geneva Conventions. The European Court of Human Rights has found Russia responsible for “administrative practices” in the occupied territory of Ukraine violating the European Convention on Human Rights, including unlawful detention and ill-treatment of journalists in occupied territories.
In judgments delivered in June 2024 and July 2025, the Court explicitly ordered Russia “must without delay release or safely return all persons who were deprived of liberty on Ukrainian territory under occupation” in breach of the Convention.
The court decisions specified violations such as unlawful suppression of non-Russian media; the unlawful deprivation of liberty, prosecution and/or conviction of “Ukrainian political prisoners” in Crimea for exercising their freedom of expression; the unlawful deprivation of liberty, ill-treatment and extrajudicial killing of journalists, and other serious interferences with the freedom to impart and receive information and ideas.
The Committee of Ministers, responsible for supervising implementation of the Court’s judgments, reiterated this demand in March 2025.
Calls for Action
The resolution outlines concrete measures for Council of Europe member states, including strengthened sanctions against Russian officials involved in detaining journalists, support for Ukraine’s media infrastructure, and financial assistance for journalists’ families. It also calls for the establishment of a Special Tribunal for crimes of aggression against Ukraine and full implementation of the European Court’s judgments.
The Council of Europe’s campaign “Journalists Matter,” launched in 2023, has placed particular focus on the situation of Ukrainian journalists. Ukraine was the first of the Council’s 46 member states to establish a national action plan for journalist safety, though the ongoing conflict underscores the need for sustained international pressure.
Broader Context
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) a Ukrainian non-profit, non-governmental organisation that has been monitoring freedom of speech in Ukraine for over 20 years, not only recorded 108 killed media professionals since 24 February 2022, but also that at least 333 media outlets have ceased all or part of their operations as a result of the large-scale Russian invasion. Thousands of media professionals had left the country or had to change jobs. Also, IMI recorded cases of threats being sent to journalists and editors of both national and regional media.
While the focus is on Ukraine, the Assembly during the debate acknowledged this represents part of a global crisis in press freedom. According to Amnesty International, 2024 was the deadliest year on record for journalists worldwide, with 124 killed.
The Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism recorded 40 alerts concerning Ukraine in 2024, the highest number for any country. Most violations occurred in Russian-occupied territories or were attributed to Russian forces.
The Platform’s annual assessment provides essential evidence on the trends and press freedom issues in Europe as well as guidance on how to address them at the national and European levels. Their 2024 assessment shows that never before had journalists been exposed to so many different and varied forms of threat that undermined journalism and the public’s right to be informed.
It is in this broader perspective that the Assembly also recommended to call on member States to support the work of national human rights institutions, including Ombudsman offices, in monitoring, documenting, and advocating for the rights and protection of journalists during armed conflict, including through technical, financial, and capacity-building assistance.
The Council of Europe, founded in 1949, comprises 46 member states and focuses on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Russia’s membership was terminated in March 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.
