The Council of Europe warns, in a new report from the Platform for the Promotion of Journalism Protection and Journalists’ Safety, that 2025 brought about an „increasingly hostile environment for journalism” in Europe.
The document, titled „On the Verge of a Critical Threshold: Press Freedom in 2025”, talks about a constant pressure exerted through legal threats, physical attacks, intimidation, attempts to capture the media, and transnational repression.
The report shows that press freedom "continued to be subjected to sustained pressures in Europe in 2025," despite legislative initiatives adopted in several countries to protect journalists and combat abusive processes.
Russia's War, "the most serious threat" to journalists
According to the report, Russia's war against Ukraine "remained the most serious threat to journalists": four media workers were killed, others were injured, and numerous journalists remain detained in occupied territories or have disappeared.
In 2025, the Platform's partners published 344 alerts concerning serious threats to media freedom – a 29% increase from 2024, when 266 were recorded. Most alerts targeted Russia (50), Turkey (49), Georgia (35), Serbia (35), and Ukraine (27). In the case of Ukraine, most alerts were related to territories occupied by Russia or attributed to Russian forces.
Physical Attacks During Protests, Political Interference in Public Media
The report notes that journalists were frequently physically attacked during protests, by police, political actors, or even protesters. Such incidents were reported in about a quarter of the analyzed states, with the highest levels recorded in Georgia, Serbia, and Turkey.
In several countries, public media services have been affected by political interference, restrictive legislation, and underfunding. At the same time, abusive processes – known as SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) – continued to be used "extensively to silence the press."
The Council of Europe's Platform partners for journalism protection and journalists' safety welcome some states' initiatives to implement both the European Union directive and the Council of Europe's recommendation against SLAPPs.
148 Journalists in Detention. "Freedom Deprivation, Control Tool"
The document warns of the "systematic use of freedom deprivation as a control tool for the media." As of December 31, 2025, 148 journalists were detained in Europe: 36 in Azerbaijan, 32 in Russia, 27 in Belarus, 26 detained by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine, 24 in Turkey, two in Armenia, and one in Georgia.
The most frequent category of alerts (90) focused on attacks on the physical safety and integrity of journalists, including the killing of four media workers following Russian drone attacks – Ukrainian journalists Olena Hramova, Yevhen Karmazin, and Tetyana Kulyk, as well as French photojournalist Antoni Lallican – and the death of independent Turkish journalist Hakan Tosun after a brutal assault.
By the end of 2025, 51 cases of killed journalists remained unresolved on the platform.
Digital Surveillance and Legislation on "Foreign Agents"
The report expresses concern about the digital surveillance of journalists through spyware programs, transnational repression, as well as legislation on "foreign agents" adopted or planned in several countries. Additionally, poor working conditions of media workers are highlighted as an additional vulnerability factor.
Although in 2025 less than a third of the published alerts received a governmental response, partners call on states to enhance their cooperation with the Platform.
Call to European States: Real Protection for Journalists
The Platform partners urge the Council of Europe, the European Commission, and the 46 member states to effectively implement press freedom standards. Among the priorities are strengthening journalists' safety, fully implementing anti-SLAPP standards, protecting the independence of public media services, and enhancing the protection of female journalists.
At the same time, they emphasize that the New Democratic Pact for Europe should place press freedom, media pluralism, and journalists' safety "at the center of democratic resilience" and include safeguards against disinformation and media capture.
What is the Journalism Protection Platform
The Council of Europe's Platform for the Promotion of Journalism Protection and Journalists' Safety was established in 2015, in cooperation with 15 international organizations in the field of freedom of expression and journalists' associations. Its purpose is to provide information to underpin dialogue with member states regarding protective or remedial measures.
The annual report covers the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as Russia – after its exclusion from the organization in 2022 – and Belarus.