According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 62 journalists were slain simply for doing their professions in 2020. (UNESCO).
According to the UN organization, nearly 1,200 professionals died in the same way between 2006 and 2020, with the perpetrators going unpunished in nine out of ten cases.
Because of figures like these, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, which will be held in 2021, will emphasize the importance of prosecutorial services in not only bringing killers to justice but also prosecuting threats of violence.
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, observed in his Tuesday message that many journalists have died while covering violence, but that the number of journalists slain outside of crisis zones has increased in recent years.
“In many countries, simply investigating corruption, trafficking, human rights violations or environmental issues puts journalists’ lives at risk,” the UN chief said.
Journalist attacks have a huge influence on society as a whole because they impede people from making educated judgments.
Other hazards to journalists include kidnapping, torture, and arbitrary incarceration, as well as disinformation operations and harassment, especially in the digital sphere.
For Guterres, “crimes against journalists have an enormous impact on society as a whole because they prevent people from making informed decisions.”
“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.”
Women journalists, according to Guterres, are particularly vulnerable.
According to a recent UNESCO report, The Chilling: Global Trends in Online Violence Against Women Journalists, 73 percent of women journalists polled stated they have been threatened, intimidated, or ridiculed online in the course of their profession.
The Secretary-General urged Member States to show political commitment to investigate and prosecute these crimes by standing in solidarity with journalists around the world.
Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, also sent a message, noting that “telling the truth comes at a price” for too many journalists.
“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.
UNESCO has trained almost 23,000 judicial personnel, including judges, prosecutors, and lawyers, in recent years.
The training covered worldwide principles for freedom of expression and journalist safety, with a special emphasis on concerns of impunity.
The agency’s #EndImpunity campaign, which will run through 2021, will highlight some of the specific hazards that journalists endure in their pursuit of the truth.
“Only by allowing the truth to be spoken can we advance peace, justice, and sustainable development in our societies,” 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.
