The Rights of Journalists

On the 21st of June, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue, and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, presented reports to the Human Rights Council focused upon protecting the rights of journalists.  Both emphasised the unacceptable worldwide level of violence against both professional and unprofessional journalists. They asserted that it was local journalists who were most vulnerable.

According to the reports only 10 percent of murders committed against journalists results in any form of conviction.  Mr Heyns highlighted a recent instance in Mexico where a non professional journalist was decapitated for her work. In a period of ever growing access to news and information, and of public ability to investigate and publish, it was made extremely clear that members of the public engaging in these activities are extremely vulnerable and need to be protected. It was recommended that attacks on journalists be dealt with at the highest level in all cases, this would constitute high profile governmental involvement in all cases of violence and deter attackers.

Some state delegations took exception to the report on freedom of opinion and expression. Belarus and China were particularly emphatic in their criticism. Belarus pointed out that the report lacked balance. They and China took the opportunity to emphasise that western countries were far from perfect in their records on freedom of expression. They used the arrest of Julian Assangeas an example. Julian Assange is the founder of the notorious whistle blowing website Wikileaks. It was highlighted that his arrest on charges of rape took place almost immediately following the publication of US government documents not intended for public access.

Mr La Rue had also recommended the decriminalisation of defamation. This was heavily criticised. While countries were in favour of the right to freedom of expression and of the rights of journalists, there was a prevalent feeling that this should not be done at the total expense of the individual’s right to privacy and reputation.

Despite this, these UN experts illustrate that the protection of the media from reprisal must be at the fore if this right is to be protected.