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Some reasons and facts that show the importance of this international day, and tell us the necessity for adequate attention and immediate action paying attention to the job security of journalists and protecting their lives:
- In the past decade, a journalist has been killed on average every four days.
- The year 2019 shows the lowest death toll recorded by UNESCO in the last decade with 57 deaths.
- In 2019, the highest number of fatal attacks occurred in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, representing 40% of the total killings registered worldwide, followed by the Asia and the Pacific region with 26% of killings.
- Most journalists were killed in countries with no armed conflict.
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. Between 2006 and 2020, over 1,200 journalists were killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public. According to the UNESCO observatory of killed journalists, in nine out of ten cases, the killers go unpunished. Impunity leads to more killings and is often a symptom of worsening conflict and breaking the law and judicial systems.
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, in particular, create a climate of fear for media professionals, impeding the free circulation of information, opinions, and ideas for all citizens. Women journalists are particularly impacted by threats and attacks, notably by those made online. According to UNESCO’s recent discussion paper, The Chilling: Global trends in online violence against women journalists, 73% of the women journalists surveyed said they had been threatened, intimidated, and insulted online in connection with their work.
Background
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed November 2 as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ in General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/163. The Resolution urged the Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity. The date was chosen to commemorate the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on November 2, 2013.
This landmark resolution condemns all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers. It also urges the Member States to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, to ensure accountability, bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers, and ensure that victims have access to appropriate remedies. It further calls upon States to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference.
Documents for more awareness
- Report of the UN Secretary-General on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity (A/74/314)
- UNESCO Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity
- UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/163
- UN Security Council Resolution S/RES/2222 (2015)
- UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity
It can be said that the essential message of this day is that: Countering threats of violence and crimes against journalists is necessary for protecting freedom of expression for all.
More information is available here:
un.org/en/observances/end-impunity-crimes-against-journalists