Human Rights Council – PEC statement

General Assembly

Human Rights Council – 34th session

Item 3 General Debate

 

Mr President,

The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) thanks the Rapporteurs and the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their thematic reports.

During the last regular session of the Human Rights Council in September, Member States adopted unanimously the resolution L6 on the Safety of journalists. Regrettably the PEC has documented in its annual report that the media community have suffered heavy losses last year. The total number of journalists killed in 2016 amounts to 156 in 33 countries: it is the highest number in 10 years, an increase of 15% compared to 2015. Many more were injured, detained, threatened, censored.

During the first 2 months of 2017, at least 15 journalists were killed on duty. Endless conflicts, terrorism, criminal activities, impunity are the main causes of this heavy toll.

These overwhelming figures demonstrate that the international community has a duty to reinforce the protection of media workers in the field, to investigate more effectively the crimes against them and combat with more firmness impunity.

Freedom of information is at the core of human rights. The Human Rights Council should intensify its efforts to implement its own resolutions.

Thank you for your attention

10 March 2017

Source: PEC