The UK told the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 27 November 2025 that media freedom remains a cornerstone of regional security, noting rising pressures across the OSCE area. Deputy Ambassador James Ford thanked OSCE Representative Jan Braathu and his team for monitoring, early warning and rapid response functions.
Domestically, ministers highlighted operational measures to protect reporters. Every police force in England and Wales now has a designated journalist safety lead, aligning with earlier practice in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In October, the government confirmed that all 43 forces in England and Wales, plus British Transport Police and Counter Terrorism Policing, have named Journalist Safety Liaison Officers as single points of contact for threats, abuse and risk planning.
Policy development is progressing through the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists. A working group on Legal Threats against Journalists-building on the Committee’s SLAPPs Taskforce-is shaping a non‑legislative response to abusive legal tactics aimed at discouraging public‑interest reporting, with updates due to the Committee on implementation.
The next iteration of the UK’s National Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists is in preparation. The 2023 refresh set commitments across policing, prosecutions and support for media workers; the forthcoming update is expected to consolidate evidence‑gathering, including the NUJ’s Safety Tracker launched in 2024, to inform consistent practice across forces and employers.
Recognising the impact of generative AI on elections, the Cabinet Office and Electoral Commission updated official guidance in April 2025 for candidates and electoral staff on online disinformation and AI‑generated content. The material sits within the Candidate Security Guidance collection and dovetails with the UK’s Defending Democracy guidance from NCSC and NPSA, which sets out practical steps and reporting routes during election periods.
Internationally, the UK reaffirmed support for the Media Freedom Coalition and acknowledged Germany, Estonia and Finland for their roles in 2025. Germany became co‑chair in January 2024; Finland succeeded Estonia as co‑chair on 1 July 2025, reflecting a mid‑year handover consistent with Coalition practice.
On the conflict in Ukraine, the UK condemned Russia’s attacks that have killed and injured journalists, including recent drone strikes that killed two Freedom TV journalists in Kramatorsk on 23 October and a French photojournalist on 3 October. These cases underscore persistent risks for media workers operating near front lines.
The statement also referenced Moscow Mechanism findings documenting arbitrary detention, intimidation and other violations in Russian‑occupied areas of Ukraine, including against media actors. Expert missions reporting in 2024 and 2025 detail patterns of abuse and set recommendations for accountability.
The UK and partners again called on Belarus to release all political prisoners, including journalists. Joint statements to the OSCE in mid‑2025 recorded continued large‑scale detention; CPJ separately welcomed the September release of at least eight journalists while urging that all remaining detainees be freed.
Concerns were also set out regarding Kyrgyzstan’s October court ruling designating three independent outlets-Kloop, Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese-and their founders as “extremists”. Rights groups warn the order criminalises routine engagement with their content and deepens pressure on the independent press.
The UK thanked the OSCE Representative for engagement on media freedom in Georgia and recent work in Serbia. ODIHR’s legal analysis judged Georgia’s “transparency of foreign influence” law incompatible with international standards, while the OSCE Mission to Serbia continues to support legal reform and the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists.
London closed by reaffirming support for the Representative’s mandate and signalled continued cooperation into 2026. With Jan Braathu appointed as OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media in December 2024, the UK indicated it will continue working with the Vienna‑based office on monitoring and rapid response.