EDITORIAL - War crime

In zones of armed conflict around the world, journalists have been beheaded, raped, beaten and held hostage. In Maguindanao in November 2009, 32 media workers became collateral damage in a bitter political feud that led to the worst case of election violence in the country, with a total of 58 people executed.

Now  the head of The Asso-ciated Press, which has lost several journalists covering conflict zones, is proposing that the killing or kidnapping of journalists in connection with their work should be classified as a war crime.

Philippine officials reacted cautiously yesterday to the proposal, noting that the circumstances in each attack must be carefully established. Security officials have suggested arming and training Filipino journalists for self-defense, while another proposal is to tighten gun laws to improve protection for media workers.

Journalist groups count 172 media workers slain in this country since democracy was restored in 1986, with 31 killed since President Aquino assumed office. Probers have said not all the killings could be work-related. This, however, cannot be established in most of the cases, since no one has been arrested or the mastermind has not been caught and the motive remains unclear.

In a number of cases, the suspected brains are politicians who control every aspect of the criminal justice system in their respective turfs. These politicians often belong to entrenched dynasties affiliated with major political parties. In case they are implicated in the murder or kidnapping of a journalist, will they allow themselves to be classified as war criminals, subject to trial by an international tribunal?

There are other problems that may see the AP proposal facing rough sailing if ever governments are asked to vote on it. Still, the proposal has once again focused attention on a persistent threat to press freedom. The proposal should stimulate a healthy debate on ways to confront the threat.