PEC urges the HRC to fight more firmly impunity

General Assembly

Human  Rights Council 40th session

General Debate item 4

Mr President,

the Human Rights Council adopted by consensus at its last session the resolution A/HRC/39/L7 on the safety of journalists which condemns all attacks and violence against journalists, urges States to create in law and in practice a safe environment for journalists and to ensure accountability.

Regrettably, the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) documented last year the killing of 117 journalists, an increase of 17 percent in media casualties compared to the previous year. In five countries journalists paid an unacceptable toll: Afghanistan with 17 killed, Mexico also with 17 killed, Syria with 11 killed, Yemen and India, with 8 journalists killed in each of those countries.

Since the beginning of 2019, 13 more journalists were killed, again with Mexico and Afghanistan as the most dangerous places with 3 killed in each country. The PEC is also very concerned by the murder of one journalist in Ghana, one in Libya, one in Yemen and one in the Philippines.

The PEC urges the Members of the Human Rights Council to fight more firmly impunity and to bring the responsible of those crimes to justice.

The PEC is also worried by the large number of arrests among journalists in the recent turmoil  in Sudan, the repression of press freedom in Nicaragua and Venezuela, and the continuous judicial harassment of journalists in Turkey. We also condemn a major step backward for press freedom in Myanmar and demand the immediate release of Reuters journalists Kyaw Soe Oe and Wa Lone detained since December 2017 just for doing their job.

Thank you for your attention

Geneva 13 March 2019

Source: PEC