The Media Freedom Coalition commemorates the 10th anniversary of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists to highlight the indispensable role of journalists and media workers reporting from crisis- and conflict-zones in uncovering the most undocumented affairs of our time, and to stress the dangers they face due to their dedication.
While much has been done during the last ten years to provide journalists and media workers with the safety and fundamental standards demanded by their profession, the decade also witnessed over 800 killings, with the impunity rate for these crimes reaching 90%. Particularly in the case of crisis- and conflict-related incidents, UNESCO recorded a worrying trend of doubling numbers over the past three years. In 2023, journalists killed in conflict constituted more than half of overall killings of journalists.
These tragedies are only the tip of the iceberg. In emergency settings, journalists face physical and psychological attacks, equipment confiscation or denial of access to reporting sites. New forms of online harassment, surveillance and disinformation have emerged due to further advancement in digital technologies, which particularly affect journalists and increase their vulnerability. Other threats to journalists, such as economic insecurity, conflicts or attempts to persecute, intimidate or influence them, can further aggravate these tendencies, thus forcing an even greater number of journalists into exile or to stop working altogether.
Unfortunately many governments, in spite of their obligations through international Human Rights law, are threatening press freedom around the world. We are witnessing the proliferation of so-called foreign agent laws and disinformation bills, which are designed to criminalize journalism and deny the public´s access to reliable, independent, and diverse news. Civil society organisations have documented hundreds of journalists imprisoned for their work, many of them incommunicado. Such a climate contributes to what UNESCO is terming “zones of silence” opening up in many conflict settings, with severe consequences both for local populations and the world at large.
We urge the international community to:
- first, enforce the universal principles of protecting journalists, especially UN Security Council Resolution 2222, to promote the safety of media workers and foster their resilience, ensuring they can carry out their critical work as safely as possible in crisis, conflict and post-conflict scenarios – this includes taking appropriate steps to ensure accountability for crimes committed against journalists, media professionals, and associated personnel in situations of armed conflict;
- second, to support journalists in exile, for example by using instruments such as emergency visas and increasing their resilience against transnational repression; and
- lastly, to join forces in search of innovative solutions for overcoming censorship, improving digital infrastructure, reaching new audiences, and holding perpetrators of violence on journalists accountable.
Signed:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Uruguay, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States
