ISLAMABAD: Ending impunity for crimes against journalists is one of the most pressing issues to guarantee freedom of expression and access to information for all citizens. According to the UNESCO observatory of killed journalists, over 1,200 journalists have been killed around the world between 2006 and 2020, with close to 9 out of 10 cases of these killings remaining judicially unresolved. The lack of impunity not only threatens the safety of journalists but also jeopardizes the fundamental freedoms especially freedom of expression and access to information. This lack of accountability for crimes against journalists is also an indication of the weakening of rule of law and of the judicial system.
While killings are the most extreme form of media censorship, journalists are also subjected to countless threats – ranging from kidnapping, torture, and other physical attacks to harassment, particularly in the digital sphere. Threats of violence and attacks against journalists create a climate of fear for media professionals, impeding the free circulation of information, opinions, and ideas fr all
citizens.
In many cases, threats of violence and attacks against journalists are not properly investigated which too often, lead to more severe aggressions and murders. On the other hand, Freedom Network’s impunity score card (2013 – 2018) reports low levels of convictions against the killings of these journalists. This suggests that safety of journalists remain a consistent challenge for the country to address. At the policy level the federal cabinet has approved the Protection of Journalists & Media Professionals Bill, that is soon to be tabled before the Natonal Assembly. It is now essential to strengthen the public institutions so that threats of violence against journalists can be minimized to prevent crimes against them. In addition, public institutions also need to vigorously investigate all threats of violence against journalists to ensure that freedom of expression and journalists are protected. To that effect, a greater understanding of the threats of violence and attacks faced by journalists needs to be developed.
Furthermore, duty bearers and policy makers should also be engaged to develop policy mechanisms to improve the quality of prevention and protection of the media workers. In this regard, the strengthening of national protection mechanisms for journalists is essential to address this issue.