“Journalist Challenges” Take Center Stage at PACE Autumn Session

From September 29 to October 3, 2025, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) meets in Strasbourg for its autumn session, with a strong spotlight on press freedom and the protection of journalists.

One of the standout agenda items is a call for urgent debate on the mounting threats to journalists in Gaza, particularly regarding attacks on their lives and the destruction of media infrastructure. Another priority is the plight of Ukrainian journalists held captive by Russia, which PACE intends to raise through resolutions and political pressure.

The session coincides with the awarding of the 2025 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, to be held on September 29, with three journalists shortlisted for the honor.

PACE will also debate several high-stakes issues beyond media rights, including proposals for an International Claims Commission for Ukraine and a Convention on co-production of audiovisual works. Heads of state and high-level figures are slated to speak, including Myriam Spiteri Debono (President of Malta), Nikol Pashinyan (Armenia’s PM), and Maulen Ashimbayev (Kazakh Senate Chair).

Other debate themes include emerging threats to European democracies, the political climate in Serbia and Türkiye, youth engagement in democracy, and compliance with Council of Europe membership obligations.

By placing journalist safety and press freedoms near the top of its agenda, PACE signals that it regards attacks on media workers not as isolated incidents but as direct threats to democracy itself. The outcomes of the vote on resolutions, especially those concerning Gaza and Ukrainian detainees, could influence how member countries confront abuses against the press in conflicts and contested zones.

Reference – 

https://www.miragenews.com/parliament-autumn-session-journalist-challenges-1542571/