Paris/New York, November 2 – Close to 1,200 journalists were killed between 2006 and 2019 while they carried out the task of reporting news to inform the public but only one out of 10 cases has been punished, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
“These figures do not include the many more journalists, who on a daily basis suffer from non-fatal attacks, including torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, intimidation and harassment in both conflict and non-conflict situations,” UNESCO said. “Furthermore, there are specific risks faced by women journalists, including sexual attacks.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on the occasion of the international day that “If we do not protect journalists, our ability to remain informed and make evidence-based decisions is severely hampered.”
“And when they cannot safely do their jobs, we lose an important defense against the pandemic of misinformation and disinformation that has spread online.”
Guterres said the pandemic brought new perils for journalists and media workers and he emphasized his call for a “free press that can play its essential role in peace, justice, sustainable development and human rights”.
“Fact-based news and analysis depend on the protection and safety of journalists conducting independent reporting, rooted in the fundamental tenet: ‘journalism without fear or favor.”
The Paris-based UN organization said impunity emboldens perpetrators of crimes against journalists while societies worldwide lose confidence in their own justice systems that are supposed to protect individuals from attacks on their rights.
UNESCO and the Netherlands have convened the World Press Freedom Conference 2020 in Paris December 9-10, https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldpressfreedomday/2020/speakers
The conference, entitled “Strengthening investigations and prosecutions to end impunity for crimes against journalists,” will discuss ways to end impunity and present guidelines for prosecutors on investigating and prosecuting crimes and attacks against journalists, which are developed in partnership with the International Association of Prosecutors.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal, said 1,387 journalists have been killed (1992-2020) and 248 imprisoned in 2019
CPJ listed the world’s most censored countries as follow: Eritrea, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, China, Vietnam, Iran, Equatorial Guinea, Belarus and Cuba.
