General Assembly : Human Rights Council
PEC
General Assembly : Human Rights Council 49th session (General Debate item 4)
Mr President,
Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) is very worried by the high number of deaths among journalists since the beginning of this year. Atleast 33 media workers have been killed so far, it is an increase of more than 100 % over the same period of 2021.
We are specially concerned by two country situations, Mexico and Ukraine. In Mexico, criminal gangs have been responsible for the assassination of nine journalists since January. We call upon the Mexican authorities to reinforce their mechanisms of protection and to fight with greater firmness against impunity.
Since February 24th and the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, 6 journalists have been killed in fighting and dozens of others injured. This is unacceptable. We strongly condemn these war crimes. Journalists are not combatants and should never be targeted by military forces. We call on the Russian and Ukrainian authorities to respect the independence of journalists on the ground and to ensure their safety.
The war in Ukraine is a new example of the need to reinforce the protection of media in conflict zones. We launch a new urgent call to Member States to adopt a binding international convention for the protection of journalists with mechanisms of accountability and inquiry. It would be useful for journalists of all countries.
Thank you for your attention
Geneva , 22 March 2022
Blaise Lempen, President
Luisa Ballin, PEC Vice President
Jean-Philippe Jutzi, PEC Vice President
Luis Vazquez, PEC Vice President
Ana Leurinda, PEC UN representative