According to IFJ statistics, 66 journalists and media staff have lost their lives when carrying out their duties since the start of 2016. But the worst statistic yet is on impunity for these levels of violence with only one out of 10 killings of media professionals is investigated.
The situation is equally dire for non-fatal attacks on journalists. In many cases, governments continue to fail in their duty to hold accountable those who harass and attack media workers. Impunity not only endangers journalists’ lives , it imperils democracy and compromises hopes for peace and development. There exist legal guarantees for the protection of journalists as civilians which states are duty bound to enforce under domestic and international law.
To mark 2016 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists , the IFJ will organise a half-day conference on 7 November in Brussels entitled "Turning words into action".
While highlighting the level of impunity in journalism, its toll on the life of the victims’ relatives and its impact on press freedom, the conference will also contribute to identify possible actions to end impunity and make national governments accountable for the killings of media workers.
Join us on 7 November in Brussels from 9am to 1pm.Full programme hereRegister hereFor more information, please contact IFJ on + 32 2 235 22 16
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 140 countries