The IFJwill be carrying out a range of actions during the month of November 2014, as part of the global campaign to end impunity for crime against journalists.
The UN Day against impunity for violence targeting journalists was adopted on 18 December 2013 and will be marked for the first time on 2 November, the first anniversary of the killings of two RFI reporters, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, murdered in Kidal, Mali in 2013. This will be another opportunity for the IFJ to press governments around the world on their obligation to investigate attacks on journalists and punish their perpetrators. It comes ahead of another important date of 23 November, which commemorates the Maguindanao massacre in the Philippines when at least 32 journalists lost their lives in the single deadliest attack on media. Since 2011, this day has been adopted by IFEX members as the International Day against Impunity. We plan to roll out our campaign from 2 – 23 November and we need the involvement of all IFJ affiliates to make it a success. Set out below is the material to use and the sequencing across the three weeks of the activities. Furthermore, if you know a colleague or a family member of a killed journalist in your country, we urge you to talk to them and ask them to make a two-minute video message about the need to secure justice for their loved ones which we can post on the website. Visit the IFJ's End Impunity Campaign page to find out more, or take a look at the actions you can support:- Launch Statement On Friday 31 October, the IFJ will release a statement to launch the End Impunity campaign for 2014. We ask you, in addition to your own plans for rallies and visits to embassies, to also support the global campaign by using the IFJ statement, retweet it and publish it on your Facebook pages.
- Video Messages In addition, we have prepared a series of video messages which will be available on the IFJ websites (www.ifj.org; ifj-safety.org) as well as on the IFJ End Impunity Facebook no later than 2 November 2014. Please feel free to use these videos on your websites, twitter and Facebook accounts. Ensure you like our Facebook and help us reach 100.000 likes by the end of the campaign. View the first video from IFJ President Jim Boumelha:
- Have Your Say
We have prepared the #EndImpunity campaign poster which you can download for use on Twitter or Facebook, or if you want a more high resolution version for printing (small or large).
Please encourage all your members and their friends to download it, take picture holding it and attach a brief message to the President or Prime Minister of your country, urging them to take a public stand against impunity for crime targeting journalists.
Then, tweet it, post it on Facebook and send it to us so that we can share with all IFJ family.
Please feel free to use the following message or model your own on it, as you wish:
For Twitter:“President or Prime Minister [add name ] ,on @UN Day v. impunity what are you doing to end violence against journalists in [add name of country] #EndImpunity”
For Facebook:“Dear [ add Mr President or Mr Prime Minister] , On this UN Day against impunity for crime targeting journalists, we urge you to take a public stand against forms of violence on media professionals in [add name of your country] and direct your government’s services to investigate all attacks on journalists and media staff. Thank You” 
Thunderclap campaign On 23 November, we plan a major finale for the campaign by focusing on the most dangerous countries for journalists, including Mexico, Somalia and the Philippines which will be the next group target in our end impunity campaign. To this end, we suggest organising a thunderclap campaign, which is a very efficient online platform to rally people and spread the message in support of a cause such as our campaign. All you need to do is sign up to Thunderclap via Twitter and Facebook and the message will be sent on the same day and posted on your Facebook where your friends and contacts can see it. Please mobilise your members to help us achieve, as a target, the total social reach of at least 50.000 people joining this Thunderclap campaign by 23 November 2014. We will use the #End of Impunity poster by IFJ with the following message: “On 23 November 2014; Let Us Speak Out Louder than Ever before against Impunity for Crime against Journalists, On this International Day against Impunity for Crime targeting Journalists, we want to urge governments around the world to make the end of impunity a law and order priority. Violence against journalists in many countries, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Somalia and Syria has reached records levels in recent years. We believe that impunity enjoyed by those attacking journalists is the chief reason for making journalism a dangerous profession in the world. On 18 December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly established an annual UN Day against impunity for crime targeting journalists which was marked for the first time on 2 November. This is date on which two French reporters, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon; were murdered in Mali last year.We urge all heads of states and governments to genuinely implement this resolution and show their personal commitment by ordering independent investigations into all unresolved cases of journalists’ killings in their countries.”
CONTACT US For more information, or to send us any photos, videos, or information on your events and activities, please email:
[email protected]