In March 2022, when excluding Russia from the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers noted that "the Council of Europe will take initiatives to support and engage with human rights defenders, democratic forces, free media and independent civil society in the Russian Federation".
Outlining the main ways of supporting Russian independent media in exile from the Council of Europe, the European Federation of Journalists and other media support mechanisms in Europe was the aim of a workshop held in Gothenburg, Sweden from 24-25 April. The workshop brought together some 40 journalists, media lawyers, researchers and members of professional media associations. One of the main discussion points was how to strengthen the network of "media freedom hubs" to help journalists stationed across Europe.
Russia's aggression against Ukraine launched on 24 February 2022 has hit the media sector of Ukraine severely. At the same time, it intensified to new levels the oppression and stigmatisation of the few remaining independent media in Russia. Many opposition journalists, educators, activists for professional associations of journalists and media lawyers have been designated by the authorities as "foreign agents" and/or fired from their jobs for standing against the war in Ukraine.
As a result of the ongoing repression, significant and politically influential independent news media have gone out of business and many journalists have either stopped reporting on sensitive issues or gone into exile abroad, notably in the Baltic states, Eastern and Central European countries, Germany, the Netherlands and the South Caucasus. They provide significant input into countering the disinformation and propaganda of the authoritarian regimes in their country for Russian-speaking audiences at home and abroad.
The University of Gothenburg, the co-organiser of the workshop, will use the findings from the workshop for a study of Russian media in exile. The event was also supported by the Justice for Journalists Foundation and the Swedish Institute.
