UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged the international community to stand in solidarity with journalists around the world and to investigate and prosecute crimes against them and media workers with the “full force of the law”.
“Today, on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we commemorate the legacy and achievements of journalists killed in the line of duty, and call for justice for crimes committed against them,” he said in a message marking the day on Tuesday.
Last year, according to UNESCO, 62 journalists around the world were killed just for doing their jobs.
Between 2006 and 2020, over 1,200 professionals lost their lives the same way. In nine out of ten cases the killers go unpunished.
In his message, the UN chief noted that many journalists had lost their lives while covering conflict, but the number of media workers killed outside conflict zones, has risen in recent years.
“In many countries, simply investigating corruption, trafficking, human rights violations or environmental issues puts journalists’ lives at risk”, he said.
For Guterres, “crimes against journalists have an enormous impact on society as a whole, because they prevent people from making informed decisions.” Journalists face countless other threats, ranging from kidnapping, torture and arbitrary detention, to disinformation campaigns and harassment, particularly in the digital sphere.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, and the shadow pandemic of misinformation, has demonstrated that access to facts and science is literally a matter of life and death”, he said. “When access to information is threatened, it sends a disturbing message that undermines democracy and the rule of law.”
The secretary-general also noted that women journalists are at particular risk.
According to UNESCO’s recent paper,” The Chilling: Global trends in online violence against women journalists, 73 percent of the women journalists surveyed, said they had been threatened, intimidated and insulted online in connection with their work.”
The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, also marked the day with a message, saying that, for too many journalists, “telling the truth comes at a price.”
According to her, “when attacks against journalists go unpunished, the legal system and safety frameworks have failed everyone.”
“States thus have an obligation to protect journalists and to ensure that the perpetrators of crimes against them are punished. Judges and prosecutors in particular, have an important role to play in promoting swift and effective criminal proceedings”, she said.
In recent years, UNESCO has trained nearly 23,000 judicial officials, including judges, prosecutors and lawyers. The training covered international standards related to freedom of expression and the safety of journalists, and has placed a particular focus on issues of impunity.
This year, the agency’s #EndImpunity campaign is highlighting some of the specific risks which journalists face, in their quest to uncover the truth.
“Only by allowing the truth to be spoken can we advance peace, justice and sustainable development in our societies”, Mrs. Azoulay concluded.
Commemorations in 2021 will also pave the way for the 10-year anniversary of the UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, to be marked in 2022.