RP urged to guarantee protection of journalists

MANILA, Philippines - A United Nations independent expert has urged the Philippines to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the protection and safety of journalists.

Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said the number of journalists from different countries who were killed last year rose by 26 percent compared to 2008.

Many of the murders were related to investigations into corruption, organized crime and political misdeeds that the reporters were carrying out at the time of their death, he added.

La Rue urged the Philippines, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia and Mexico to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the protection and safety of journalists.

“I would like to reiterate that in accordance with Security Council resolution 1739 and obligations under international human rights law,” he said.

“States must carry out exhaustive investigations into each case of attacks against journalists and to prosecute those responsible.”

Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, La Rue said the kidnapping of journalists and other media professionals also continued in 2009, a practice that forced 157 journalists to seek exile in other countries.

“I am also alarmed by some of the statistics which indicate that the perpetrators of these offenses have enjoyed total impunity in 94 percent of all cases, while the percentage of cases in which even some partial measure of justice has been obtained is minimal,” he said.

Only two percent of cases related to crimes against journalists were brought before law enforcement authorities and perpetrators and instigators prosecuted, La Rue said.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has called for an end to impunity in the murders of media professionals.

“The figure exceeded the previous record of 69 set in 2006, when violence in Iraq was rampant,” UNESCO said.

According to a UNESCO report, 2009 set a new record with the murder of some 30 journalists in one day in the Philippines on Nov. 23.

Most victims were not foreign war correspondents, but local journalists who were working during peacetime, UNESCO added.

The report also found that the murders were due to attacks specifically targeting the victims by “those who do not wish journalists to investigate and reveal information of public interest.”

In January, Human Rights Watch released its annual report summarizing human rights condition in the Philippines, saying the November Maguindanao massacre is the “worst apparent politically motivated violence in recent history.”

The watchdog said local officials, police, and paramilitary forces were implicated in the abduction and killing of a dozen members of a candidate’s family and accompanying journalists in Maguindanao province.

Human Rights Watch said in its report that “several key institutions, including the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, however, remain weak, meaning the military and police still commit human rights violations with impunity.”

Meantime, La Rue also urged countries to adopt legislation to ensure the public’s right to access information.

“The ability of individuals to fully exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression and access communication tools is fundamental in combating inequality and discrimination,” he said.

“It is therefore particularly important for groups in need of specific attention – such as women, children, persons living in extreme poverty, minorities and indigenous people – to obtain information, assert their rights, and participate in decision-making to improve their situation.

“This in turn facilitates development and enables societies to progress towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.”