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Brussels, 18 December - The International News Safety Institute, the International Federation of Journalists and the European Broadcasting Union on Tuesday appealed to the President of the UN Security Council to help persuade states to respect "in letter and spirit" a key Security Council resolution on the safety of journalists on its first anniversary. In an open letter, the three organisations noted that in the year since the Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1738 on the safety of journalists in conflict more news media personnel had died trying to cover the story than ever before. INSI counts at least 173 dead -- the worst yearly death toll ever -- since passage of 1738, which expressed deep concern "at the frequency of acts of violence, including deliberate attacks ... against journalists, media professionals and associated personnel." The Security Council condemned such attacks and called on all parties to put an end to such practices and end impunity for the killers. INSI, the IFJ and the EBU had campaigned for two years to get the resolution before the Security Council. It went through on 23 December, 2006. The three organisations said in their letter to Ambassador Marcello Spatafora of Italy, current President of the Security Council : "We strongly believe that the rising death toll could be arrested effectively if States where journalists are killed were to apply their existing laws vigorously whenever a journalist is murdered." After a two-year inquiry into journalist deaths around the world, INSI reported 1,000 fatalities between 1996 and 2006 and revealed that in fewer than two out of 10 cases of murder was anyone brought to justice. "We appeal to you, Sir, to urge your colleagues on the Security Council to respect the letter and the spirit of Resolution 1738 so that we can begin to bring down the shocking level of casualties suffered by the news media on behalf of free societies everywhere," the letter said. It noted that the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines freedom of expression, will be celebrated around the world next year. "It should be remembered that journalists act on behalf of us all. They are our eyes and our ears, the means by which, in the words of Article 19 of the Declaration, we 'seek, receive and impart information and ideas'," the letter said. "There can be no freedom of expression where journalists are murdered for doing their job," it stated. The IFJ is the world's largest organisation of journalists, representing around 500,000 members in more than 100 countries. The European Broadcasting Union is the world's biggest association of national broadcasters, with 75 active members in 56 countries. Its member broadcasters reach an audience of 650 million weekly. Both organisations are members of INSI, an NGO committed to the safety of journalists and other news media personnel working in dangerous conditions around the world. Details of journalist casualties and of Resolution 1738 can be obtained from the INSI website www.newssafety.com The text of the letter: 18 December 2007
H.E. Mr. Marcello Spatafora Your Excellency, We should like to draw your attention, as President of the Security Council, to the forthcoming first anniversary on 23 December, 2007, of Resolution 1738 on the protection of journalists in armed conflict. The Resolution expresses deep concern "at the frequency of acts of violence, including deliberate attacks, in many parts of the world against journalists, media professionals and associated personnel". The Security Council "condemned such attacks and called on all parties to put an end to such practices". The Resolution was widely welcomed by journalist support groups around the world, including our three organisations, which had presented a draft to the then Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the World Electronic Media Forum (WEMF2) in Tunisia in 2005 -- the International News Safety Institute (INSI), an NGO devoted to the safety of journalists and other news professionals, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the world's largest organisation of journalists, and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Yet since the Resolution was passed at least 170 more news media staff have died trying to cover the news in 35 countries, in wars and in peacetime. This is a record for any single year. Conflict continues to exact a high toll. More than 80 journalists and support staff have been killed in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka and DR Congo. In the most comprehensive exercise of its kind, INSI spent two years conducting a global inquiry into news media deaths over a 10-year period. It counted more than 1,000 personnel who had died trying to cover the news between 1996 and 2006. Two-thirds were murdered, most of them in their own countries in peacetime, and in almost nine out of 10 of these cases no one was brought to justice. Hence the emphasis in Resolution 1738 for States to end impunity for the killers of journalists. We strongly believe that the rising death toll could be arrested effectively if States where journalists are killed were to apply their existing laws vigorously whenever a journalist is murdered. We appeal to you, Sir, to urge your colleagues on the Security Council to respect the letter and the spirit of Resolution 1738 so that we can begin to bring down the shocking level of casualties suffered by the news media on behalf of free societies everywhere. In this regard, we would like to draw your attention to the recommendations on journalist safety made to the UN Secretary-General and member States by WEMF3 in Malaysia on 11 December. It is also worth recalling that 2008 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which declares freedom of expression a fundamental right. It should be remembered that journalists act on behalf of us all. They are our eyes and our ears, the means by which, in the words of Article 19 of the Declaration, we "seek, receive and impart information and ideas". There can be no freedom of expression where journalists are murdered for doing their job. Sincerely,
Rodney Pinder
Jean Reveillon
Aidan White
Any questions about this news release should be addressed to Rodney Pinder, email rodney.pinder@newssafety.com or mobile +44 7734 709267 |