UN Calls For Those Responsible For Journalist Deaths To Be Held Accountable
Freedom of expression is the very essence of democracy. On Intl. Day to #EndImpunity for Crimes against Journalists, we stand by all those who have the courage to speak up for all of us. #IDEI #KeepTruthAlive
— EU Council Press (@EUCouncilPress) November 2, 2019
Declaration by @FedericaMog on behalf of : https://t.co/iUxvDFEQ2B pic.twitter.com/3RHMppl7Ie
UNESCO is concerned that impunity damages whole societies by covering up serious human rights abuses, corruption, and crime. Governments, civil society, the media, and everyone concerned to uphold the rule of law are being asked to join in the global efforts to end impunity. It is in recognition of the far-reaching consequences of impunity, especially of crimes against journalists, that the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Resolution at its 68th session in 2013 which proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ (IDEI). The Resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
The following is the message of Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, November 2, 2019: “The statistics are sobering: in the last 10 years, at least 881 journalists have been killed around the world for simply telling the truth. Forty-four have died so far in 2019 alone. In almost nine out of 10 cases, these crimes have gone unpunished. UNESCO seeks to prevent these tragedies by promoting a safe environment for journalists and media workers, notably through the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. However, when the worst happens, UNESCO calls for those responsible for journalist deaths to be held accountable. It fights impunity in the field, by training judges and members of the judiciary, cooperating with human rights courts and working with governments to create national prosecution mechanisms.Deadly attacks on journalists are on the rise, with more than 1000 killed in the past 5 years, Some 90% of those responsible have not been convicted #EndImpunity #KeepTruthAlive https://t.co/ct69bk8FDH
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) November 1, 2019
These actions are also supported by a new Global Media Defense Fund, which was created at the initiative of the United Kingdom and Canada and is administered by UNESCO. This Fund complements work already undertaken by UNESCO to fight impunity around the world, including through the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists and the International Programme for the Development of Communication. It will do this in particular by fostering legal cooperation and supporting the continuation of work by journalists who have been killed. On 2 November, this year’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is focused on local journalists. Through the campaign #KeepTruthAliveWatch British Ambassador @AlisonBlakeFCO express her views on the importance of media freedom in #Afghanistan#IDEI2019 #EndImpunity #keepTruthAlive pic.twitter.com/obalC26e0H
— UK in Afghanistan (@UKinAfghanistan) November 2, 2019
It challenges the perception that murders only happen far from the public eye, primarily targeting foreign war correspondents. It shines the spotlight on local journalists working on corruption and politics in non-conflict situations, who represented 93% of journalist deaths in the past decade. UNESCO holds to account all those who put journalists at risk, all those who kill journalists, and all those who do nothing to stop this violence. The end of a journalist’s life should never be the end of the quest for truth.Thread: Saturday is the International Day to #EndImpunity for Crimes against Journalists! Here's a flavour of the original content we've published over the past year about how people are tackling the problem of impunity all across the globe: #NoImpunity #KeepTruthAlive pic.twitter.com/pTS4UVgz9f
— IFEX (@IFEX) November 1, 2019
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