Media workers across the world yesterday observed International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
The day was designated by the United Nations after the 68th session of its general assembly in 2013.
According to the UN, more than 700 journalists “have been killed for bringing news and information to the public.” There have been no such reports in T&T over the years.
But the UN said: “Worryingly, only one in ten cases committed against media workers over the past decade has led to a conviction.”
It said November 2 was chosen as the date for the observance in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on November 2, 2013.
And the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) yesterday joined the call for greater safety for journalists and heightened awareness about the danger of impunity.
In a statement issued yesterday MATT said: “This campaign aims at raising awareness on this critical issue and calling for an end to crimes against journalists and other independent activists and thinkers who exercise their right to speak out.
“Closer to home, high rates of murder, kidnapping and other crimes against journalists, many of which remain unsolved, continue to undermine democratic principals and freedom of expression.
“In Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Guatemala among other territories in Latin America, numerous journalists have been murdered, threatened, arrested or censored.
“In Cuba, journalists continue to face extreme censorship while across the Caribbean journalists continue to face intimidation and threats while doing their work to hold public and private sector officials to account and serving the public interest.”
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The UN said the landmark resolution condemned all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers and urged member states to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, to ensure accountability, bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers and ensure that victims have access to appropriate remedies.
The resolution also called on states to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference.
Journalists in Guyana took to social media to call for an end to impunity for crimes committed against journalists. The regional media body, the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, also supported the call in a statement yesterday.
It said: “We need your help to send the message that crimes against free expression must have consequences and that states must be held accountable when these crimes occur within their borders.
“Together, let’s work together towards a world with ‘no impunity.’ Help us spread the word.”
And the International Press Institute says the day “marks a sombre reality (the) the vast majority of journalist killings around the world go unpunished.”
According to the IPI “in the rare cases where a successful investigation and trial do take place, it is usually only the triggerman or hired man who faces conviction.”
It said in many countries, from Mexico to Russia to Sri Lanka, “the list of countries that failed time and again f to implement the rule of law and bring those responsible for crimes against the media to justice is long.”
The IPI said it told selected stories of media communities abandoned by justice , yesterday to remind the world of how much work needed to be done.