Photo: Indian
demonstrators hold placards with the picture of Indian journalist Gauri
Lankesh during a 'Not In My Name' protest in New Delhi on September 7,
2017. Indian activists, politicians and journalists demanded a full
investigation on September 6 into the murder of Gauri Lankesh, a
newspaper editor and outspoken critic of the ruling Hindu nationalist
party whose death has sparked an outpouring of anger.Credit: Sajjad
Hussain/AFP
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the South
Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) urged governments in South Asia to
urgently roll out concrete measures to end the reigning impunity in
crimes against journalists and ensure justice to slain and victimized
journalists.
The IFJ and the SAMSN raised concerns over the alarming level of impunity and released a
special capsule report on impunity ahead of the release of 16
th edition of the annual press freedom report:
Clampdowns and Courage: Press Freedom in South Asia 2017-18. The entire report will be launched on May 3 to mark World Press Freedom Day.
A total of 33 journalists lost their lives across South Asia from
May,2017 to April,2018, making the region the most dangerous region in
the world for journalists. Afghanistan saw the killing of 22
journalists, 10 of them in a day on April 30, 2018 whereas the world’s
largest democracy, India, saw 7 killings while Pakistan witnessed 4
killings of journalists.
The IFJ said: “
In most of the cases of killing of journalists in
South Asia, justice is elusive. The 33 journalist colleagues whom we
lost this year add to a long list of hundreds of slain journalists
awaiting justice after being killed for carrying out their professional
duties. The struggle for justice is a challenging process, and in many
cases the process doesn’t even begin.”
Prominent editor Gauri Lankesh was among the killed journalists. She was
shot dead in Bengaluru in India in September 2017; and despite repeated
commitments from authorities, it took six months to nab an accused, the
suspected supplier of firearms where the actual shooters are still at
large.
In India, over the last two decades, more than 30 journalists have been
killed as a direct result of their professional work. The
Clampdowns and Courage states
that the rate of conviction continues to be near-zero and the long road
to justice is fraught with poor investigation, tardy trial procedures
and political pressure that often lets the accused abscond or roam scot
free.
Overwhelming impunity continues to characterise Pakistan’s media
environment. Even as justice is awaited in the 115 cases of journalists
killed since 2000, in one conviction, the higher court reversed the
verdict. Aminullah Niaz, the alleged killer of
Jang journalist
Ayub Khattak was in 2017 exonerated by the Peshawar Court a year after
he was found guilty and awarded a life sentence by a lower court.
Likewise, in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka
where conviction in the cases of murder of journalists are rare. The
authorities are particularly unwilling to open investigation and
prosecution, into killings from the conflict era or by religious
extremists, despite efforts by the journalists unions to push for the
justice.
The report, supported by UNESCO and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, details threats, violations and attacks on the media in the
year up to World Press Freedom Day according to UNESCO’s Journalists
Safety Indicators. The report is also a key tool for advocacy on issues
such as press freedom, impunity and gender equity in the media in South
Asia.
The IFJ said:
“The alarming level of impunity in crimes against
journalists is a shame for South Asia. Sadly, governments have not taken
any concrete steps forward, making it riskier for journalists to carry
on their professional duties. This must change. The IFJ urges all
governments in South Asia to urgently set in motion special measures and
mechanisms to ensure justice for killed journalists.”
Download the capsule report on impunity
here.
Download the South Asia Press Freedom Report 2017-18 from the
SAMSN Digital Hub on May 3, 2018
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0950
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
|
|
|
|
Follow the IFJ Asia Pacific:
|
|
Copyright © 2017, the International Federation of Journalists Asia Pacific. All rights reserved.
