On November 23 each year, the IFJ takes part in the International Day to End Impunity for crime targeting journalists.
The date was chosen to mark the second anniversary of the Ampatuan Town Massacre in the Philippines, which claimed the lives of 58 people, including 32 journalists, on November 23, 2009.
The IFJ is committed to making this anniversary a day to remember all journalists killed because they believed in the purpose and mission of journalism, to raise awareness about the scandal of impunity and the failure of governments to bring the killers to justice and to pledge to do more to find ways of making journalism safer. This global event provides us all with an opportunity to denounce the prevailing culture of impunity for crime committed against journalists in many countries of the world and call for its end.
In 2011, IFJ affiliates in Asia-Pacific wrote to government authorities in the Philippines, Pakistan and SriLanka to highlight concerns about impunity, and demand justice for victims of attacks on journalists and media workers. In the Philippines, local activists, relatives and colleagues of the victims of the massacre attended a memorial service at the massacre site on November 22, and staged protest marches nationally on November 23, including to the Malacañang presidential palace in Manila, to demand an end to impunity in the Philippines.
As part of IFJ Asia-Pacific’s commitment to reminding governments of their responsibilities to protect and prevent attacks on journalists, an online map has been commissioned recording recent deaths of those journalists who have died while working.
This map, produced in partnership with geographic information system (GIS) technology specialist Esri Australia, is a sobering reminder of the great risks undertaken by journalists in the region.
The map is available here, and will continue to be updated.