YES, IT’S TIME TO STAMP OUT CRIMES AGAINST JOURNALISTS
On December 18, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA) passed Resolution No. A/RES/68/163 which, among other things, “urged UN member states to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity”.
To that very noble end, the UN proclaimed November 2 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI).
The UN-GA resolution condemned “all attacks” against journalists and other media workers – and urged member states “to ensure accountability; bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers, and ensure that the victims of such crimes do have ready access to appropriate remedies”.
The resolution also calls upon the governments of UN member states to create and promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference.
Indeed, ending impunity for crimes against journalists has been one of the most pressing issues which guarantee freedom of expression and ready access to information for the general public.
However, this ideal has not always been the case on the ground. That is partly why over 1,200 journalists are known to have been killed between 2006 and 2020 for reporting the news and disseminating information to the public.
But – according to the Unesco Observatory of Killed Journalists – in about nine out of ten of the cases, the killers have gone unpunished.
And, more often than not, this is basically the result of unmitigated impunity – which encourages and leads to more attacks, even as it is symptomatic of a breakdown of a country’s legal and judicial systems.
Don’t shoot the messenger
Generally speaking, impunity refers to the failure by relevant authorities to bring to justice perpetrators of human/natural rights violations – and, as such, constitutes a denial of the victims’ right to justice and appropriate redress.
Usually, this happens mostly in countries which are corrupt through and through; have no respect for the rule of law as a tradition; where law enforcement institutions and the Judiciary systems are weak on the back of entrenched patronage, etc.
The 2013 UN-GA Resolution on the issues of impunity and the safety of journalists “unequivocally condemned” all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers, such as torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention, as well as intimidation and harassment in both conflict and non-conflict situations.
IDEI this year “highlights the instrumental role of prosecutorial services, in investigating and prosecuting not only killings, but also threats of violence against journalists”.
This comes virtually on the eve – so to speak – of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers across the world.
Among other things, the plan will assist UN member states to develop legislation and mechanisms that are favourable to freedom of expression and information, and support their efforts to implement existing international rules and principles.
We join hands here with UN Secretary-General António Guterres to urge UN member states “to stand in solidarity with journalists – and to investigate and prosecute crimes against them with the full force of the law”.
