Late in 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 68/163 on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, in an effort to stem the killings of journalists and ensure that perpetrators of deadly violence against journalists are brought to justice. The resolution was a recognition that it has never been a more dangerous time to be a journalist, and that states have a responsibility to take action.
The resolution required the U.N. Secretary-General to report back on the implementation of the resolution, a task that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), with support from UNESCO, is leading. In response to a request from the OHCHR, CPJ submitted a letter laying out how we view implementation of the resolution and the associated U.N. Action Plan so far. It’s not wholly encouraging; we concluded that despite increased attention by the international community and U.N. member states to journalists’ safety, there has been very little progress made in limiting the number of journalists imprisoned or killed, or in bringing those killers to justice.
Read our full letter here.