23 March 2005
IPI REPORT DECRIES IMPUNITY IN KILLING OF JOURNALISTS
While 2004 was one of the worst years on record for journalists killed world-wide, with 78 lives lost, last year saw the continuation of a worrying trend linking countries across the globe - impunity. This is the conclusion of the International Press Institute's (IPI) 2004 World Press Freedom Review, released this week.
Surveying 191 countries and territories, the report reveals the overwhelming failure of the authorities in many parts of the world to properly investigate and prosecute the killers of journalists.
In the Philippines, 56 journalists have been killed since the country gained independence in 1986, including 12 in 2004, says IPI. No one has ever been convicted for these killings.
In Bangladesh, where five journalists were killed in 2004, authorities appear oblivious to the need to assert the rule of law.
IPI notes that Asia is the one of the most dangerous regions in the world for journalists, with 27 killed last year.
In Mexico, corruption and drug trafficking have made it almost impossible for journalists to carry out investigative reporting without being targeted. Four journalists were killed in 2004.
In Haiti, there have been no arrests for the murders of Jean Dominique in 2000 and Brignol Lindor in 2001.
Eastern Europe is also a region marred by impunity, says IPI. In Russia, there is a history of failed attempts to investigate journalists' killings. Belarus and the Ukraine are two other countries where authorities routinely mishandle cases involving journalists.
Meanwhile, Iraq remains the deadliest place in the world for media. Twenty-three journalists were killed in the line of duty in 2004, at least three at the hands of US forces, IPI notes.
Commenting on the actions of US troops, the organisation says "Too often, soldiers have seemed indiscriminate or reckless in their behaviour toward journalists, investigations have seemed cursory, and there do not seem to be sufficiently strict orders and procedures to avert the repetition of tragic events."
IPI has urged all governments to ensure that those who murder journalists are brought to justice.
Read the full report here: http://www.freemedia.at/Protests2005/pr_WPFR22.03.05.htm
Visit these links on impunity:
- IAPA:
http://www.impunidad.com/
- World Association of Newspapers: http://www.worldpressfreedomday.org/
- Russia: 11 Murders, No Justice: http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2005/russia_murders/russia_murders.html
- UNESCO:
http://tinyurl.com/4pzvp
- Amnesty International: http://web.amnesty.org/pages/jus-index-eng
RSS