Safety of Journalists platform 2024 report: serious concern about the use of spyware against journalists, abusive lawsuits and journalists in exile

"Press Freedom in Europe: Time to Turn the Tide," is the name of the annual report of the Platform to Strengthen the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists, established by the Council of Europe in 2015 in cooperation with leading international NGOs active in the field of freedom of expression and journalists' associations.

The platform examines the main issues affecting press freedom, such as threats and intimidation, detention, restrictive laws, abusive prosecution, media appropriation, and attacks on public service media, and makes recommendations to address them.

The report covers 46 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as Russia, which was expelled from the Council of Europe in 2022, and Belarus.

In 2023, platform partners published 285 alerts regarding serious threats or attacks on media freedom in Europe, an increase from 289 alerts in 2022. Despite the decrease in the number of journalists killed and cases of street violence against them in 2023, the alerts on the platform indicate an increasing diversity of threats, pressures, and constraints faced by journalists in carrying out their work.