人权理事会举行有关记者安全问题的小组讨论（部分翻译）

上午

2014年6月11日

人权理事会今天上午举行了一场有关记者安全问题的小组讨论，以识别确保记者安全方面的挑战和良好做法，并促进各方更好地理解相关国家人权规范和标准。

联合国人权事务高级专员纳维·皮莱在开幕致辞中表示，健全、大胆而独立的新闻工作对任何民主社会都至关重要。 记者的安全显然对我们所有人的公民、政治、经济、社会、文化和发展权利至关重要。然而，自1992年以来，已有超过1000名记者因其职业而惨遭杀害。2012年和2013年的情况尤为严重，而今年年初以来已有超过15人被杀害。在许多国家，这些袭击的肇事者都几乎能够逍遥法外。保护记者的国际法律框架已经到位。她敦促各国从人权角度处理该问题，并为记者和更广泛意义上的媒体工作者提供保护。 

主持小组讨论的记者吉达·法克利（Ghida Fakhry）表示，新闻业是现代社会的支柱，同时也是人权的支柱。但正如人权事务高级专员在开幕致辞中所强调的，它在世界很多地区都是一项危险的工作，需要为此付出高昂的代价。今天小组讨论的目的在于识别确保记者安全的最佳做法并讨论其落实工作：不仅包括各国、国际组织和人权理事会力所能及的职责，还有记者自身规避危险的方法。辩论的另一大关键问题是目前对记者的定义。

保护记者委员会记者安全问题高级顾问、记者弗兰克·史密斯（Frank Smyth）表示，保护记者仍任重道远。对记者安全造成最大威胁的问题是谋杀悬案：被谋杀的记者占到被杀害人数的三分之二，而往往无人受到起诉。这就是亟需解决的问题，且还应将对谋杀记者有罪不罚现象和记者安全问题联系起来。必须采取切实措施解决谋杀问题，为了达成这一目的则需要更多的透明度和适当而正当的司法程序。

联合国教科文组织（UNESCO）副总干事格达丘·恩吉达（Getachew Engida）表示，教科文组织已制订了记者安全计划，但不幸的是，该计划仍是一纸空文，而有罪不罚现象则十分猖獗。该计划的落实需要来自领导人的实质性政治承诺和法律体系的调整。谈及透明度和问责的必要性，恩吉达先生表示，教科文组织已积极从各成员国处收集信息，并强调了该组织作为一个不具有执法能力的联合国组织的局限性。

欧安组织的媒体自由代表顿加·米亚托维奇（Dunja Mijatovic）表示，打击有罪不罚现象需提高参与度和寻求突破。记者的安全至关重要。应对未尽职责的国家提出更强烈的谴责。

埃及记者联合会副主席、记者阿比尔·萨西（Abeer Saasy）强调了定义“记者”方面的困难，并指出该职业的关键是提供信息。问题的关键并不在于为记者授予身份，因为这可能导致针对性的打击。在中东地区，90%被谋杀的记者都头部中枪或在死前饱受折磨。由于他们生活在高危地区且亟需保护，解决当地记者而非仅仅是国际记者的处境问题同样重要。

增进和保护见解和言论自由问题特别报告员弗兰克·拉卢（Frank La Rue）表示：虽然世界各地所有个人都享有同等权利且应获得同样的保护，一些人面临着特殊的危险和风险，因而应获得特殊的保护。联合国有关记者权利宣言和《联合国人权维护者宣言》一样正当其时。每个国家都应有一个针对人权维护者和记者的应急机制。

发言者在讨论中强调了媒体和记者对民主所作贡献的重大价值。参会者呼吁各国通过调查针对记者的袭击和犯罪将肇事者绳之以法，从而确保问责。一些代表团重申确保记者的法律和人身安全免受安全部队和非国家行为者侵犯的必要性，并询问了此方面的良好做法。数字时代一方面给我们带来了传播信息的众多机会，一方面也给媒体带来了新的弱点和干扰，要求我们在保护记者安全方面寻求新的思维方式。发言者们还强调了政治意愿和有利的立法框架对保护记者的必要性。代表团分享了有关各国采取的不同措施的信息，包括立法措施、公共信息与意识以及应急保护机制等。

理事会今天将召开全日会议。理事会将于下午12点30分继续与见解和言论自由问题特别报告员和和平集会与结社问题特别报告员进行集体互动对话，之后将与暴力侵害妇女及其因果问题和赤贫与人权问题任务负责人进行集体互动对话。

开场致辞

人权理事会主席波德莱尔·恩东·艾拉表示，今天上午将进行一场有关记者安全问题的小组讨论会。人权理事会对记者人权常以谋杀、酷刑、强迫失踪、恐吓和骚扰等形式受到侵犯，其工作难度也因此增大深感关切。理事会已决定在其第二十六届会议上召开一次小组讨论，重点关注人权事务高级专员有关记者安全问题的报告结论。

联合国人权事务高级专员纳维·皮莱在开幕致辞中表示，健全、大胆而独立的新闻工作对任何民主社会都至关重要。它能确保开展公共事务和其他关乎公共利益的事宜方面的透明度和问责制。它也是确保所有个体在政治生活和决策制定过程中的全面和知情参与的命脉。 记者的安全显然对我们所有人的公民、政治、经济、社会、文化和发展权利至关重要。然而，自1992年以来，已有超过1000名记者因其职业而惨遭杀害。2012年和2013年的情况尤为严重，而今年年初以来已有超过15人被杀害。在许多国家，这些袭击的肇事者都几乎能够逍遥法外。 更多的记者还面临着包括绑架，任意拘留，强迫失踪，驱逐，非法监视，酷刑和其他残忍、不人道和有辱人格的待遇或惩罚以及针对女记者的性暴力在内的暴力、骚扰和恐吓威胁。他们因间谍罪、威胁国家安全或涉嫌偏见等虚假理由被审判。

近年来，国际社会对记者因工作原因遭到袭击的问题及为其提供更多保护的需求方面的意识有所提高。安理会、联合国大会和人权理事会都通过了决议，对袭击记者的行为表示谴责。它们还呼吁各国履行其法律义务，为记者提供一个安全而有利的环境，使之能够独立而不受干扰地开展工作。根据理事会要求，人权高专办在第24届会议上提交了一份有关保护记者方面的良好做法，包括预防袭击和打击有罪不罚问题的报告。我希望今天的小组讨论能够成为大家就如何最好地将这些关键点付诸实践分享经验和想法的平台。既然保护记者的国际法律框架已经到位，它就必须在国家层面得以实施。政治承诺问题与记者的定义息息相关。从人权的角度而言，这是十分明确的：所有人的人权都应获得充分的保护，无论国家是否承认其“记者”身份，是职业记者还是“公民记者”，是否具有新闻学学位，是否在网络上进行报道。我敦促各国从人权角度处理该问题，并为记者和更广泛意义上的媒体工作者提供保护。

Statements by Panellists

GHIDA FAKHRY, Journalist and Panel Moderator, said that journalism was a pillar of a modern society, and also a human rights pillar. It sometimes came with a very high price tag and was a risky business in many parts of the world, as highlighted by the High Commissioner for Human Rights in her opening remarks. The purpose of the panel today was to identify best practices to ensure the safety of journalists and to discuss their implementation: what States, international organizations and the Human Rights Council could do, but also what journalists themselves could do to mitigate the risks. Another key question for debate was who a journalist was today.

FRANK SMYTH, Journalist and Senior Advisor for Journalist Security at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said that more needed to be done to protect journalists. The greatest threat to the safety of journalists was unsolved murders: two out of three of all journalists killed were murdered and no one was prosecuted at all. This was the issue that needed to be addressed and impunity for murders of journalists and safety of journalists must be connected. Concrete steps must be taken to address murders, and to do so, more transparency was needed as was an adequate and due judicial process.

GHIDA FAKHRY, Panel moderator, said that nine out of ten attacks on journalists went unpunished and asked about steps to ensure that international safety standards were observed and to create a safety mechanism for journalists.

GETACHEW ENGIDA, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization had developed a plan for the safety of journalists, but this plan was unfortunately still on paper; impunity was still the name of the game. In order to implement the plan, real political commitment from the leaders was needed, as were adjustments in the legal system. Answering the moderator’s question about the need for transparency and accountability, Mr. Engida said that UNESCO actively sought information from its Member States, and stressed the limitations of a United Nations organization which did not have law enforcement capacities.

DUNJA MIJATOVIC, Representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on Freedom of the Media, said that an answer could not be given as to why States were not complying with their commitments. They had to find out how to engage more with States and how to be able to open the doors where the doors were closed when it came to impunity. While the number of killed journalists was a concern, they had to say the names of journalists that were killed, not just mention numbers. The safety of journalists was extremely important. Why this profession was fiercely attacked was also something to be discussed. There was a need for a stronger voice when it came to condemning countries that were not doing what they should be doing on this issue.

ABEER SAADY, Journalist and Vice-President of the Syndicate of Journalists of Egypt, said that when talking about journalism, this was very broad. Defining a journalist was very difficult and a challenge but the idea of the profession was to inform people, and allow them to make more informed decisions. In the Middle East, at this particular time, there were difficulties. Investment in the safety of journalists was a very big investment in the region. They should not be looking at the short term, but at the long term. Having worked in many countries in the region, it was found that there were things in common between those countries. The political issue was very foggy and journalists were facing many challenges. The issue was not whether to put the badge of being a journalist or not, which could lead to a likelihood of targeting. Ninety per cent of journalists killed in the region were shot in the head or were tortured before death. They were not numbers but persons with names. If they stayed as numbers, they would be forgotten. Addressing the needs of local journalists, not just international journalists, was also important, as they lived in those difficult areas, and really needed to be protected.

FRANK LA RUE, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said that something that was not very clear in the conversation was that it was true that all individuals around the world had the same rights and deserved the same protection, but some individuals faced a special danger and special risk and therefore deserved special protection. It was the responsibility of the State to ensure this protection, regardless of whether the perpetrator was a State or non-State actor. There had to be a position taken on freedom of the press, emergency mechanisms, legal measures, and an eradication of impunity. There should be moments when cases on which information was received were voiced out. However, there also had to be preventive measures. The same way the United Nations had a Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the moment was right for a United Nations declaration on journalists. As he had proposed two years ago, every single State should have an emergency mechanism in place for human rights defenders and journalists.

FRANK SMYTH, Journalist and Senior Advisor for Journalist Security at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said that the overwhelming majority of journalists murdered were local journalists, at a high rate which was unacceptable. It was important to have training both for journalists covering conflicts as well as for the armed forces with whom they interacted. Local investigative journalists were often at the front lines, journalists had been murdered for investigating human rights abuses and, more recently, were facing violence for covering criminal activities and in some cases links to government officials.

ABEER SAADY, Journalist and Vice-President of the Syndicate of Journalists of Egypt, emphasised the challenges faced by female journalists. It was not only rape or harassment but also defamation, which was very important in some local contexts. In the case of regional female war reporters, it was important to guarantee their safety. Hate speech was often promoted against them as well as violence targeting female journalists.

GETACHEW ENGIDA, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), responding to a question concerning tangible success of the plan of action, highlighted some encouraging results such as initiatives to change practices and laws. Much more needed to be done, particularly in the context of acts of violence against journalists.

DUNJA MIJATOVIC, Representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on Freedom of the Media, responding to a question about violence against journalists in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe region, said that countries often responded to calls to address this issue by asking for time and noting country specificity. Change would not be achieved overnight and could not be taken for granted, not even in old democracies. Human rights frameworks had to be strengthened and this was part of a joint effort, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other organizations. Change would be very difficult without the necessary political will to address current challenges.

FRANK LA RUE, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, concerning lessons from a regional perspective, said that Latin America was no exception concerning levels of violence against journalists and had engaged in creative forms of reforms. Colombia had been often cited as an example of emergency protection measures for journalists that had been successful. There was also the need to count with legal measures but this mechanism still had been able to save lives. States should place emergency mechanisms in place in order to respond. Mexico had received the recommendation to establish a special prosecutor and to specify crimes committed against journalists, so there were other ways in which law enforcement mechanisms to address these violations and prevent impunity could be implemented. Concerning the need for political will, Mr. La Rue stressed the need for a strong belief in the importance of the value of journalism.

Discussion

European Union stressed that a free and vibrant media was a cornerstone of any democracy society and called on States to ensure accountability by investigating attacks and crimes against journalists and bringing perpetrators to justice. Egypt, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, reaffirmed the Arab Group’s attachment to the need to ensure the legal and physical safety of journalists from attacks by security forces and non-State actors and looked forward to hear from States on their good practices to keep journalists safe. Russia, speaking on behalf of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, said that the digital age had brought unlimited opportunities for the dissemination of information but had also opened up the media to new forms of vulnerability and interference and this required new thinking to keep journalists safe. Russia spoke of egregious violations of human rights against journalists and television crews in Ukraine. Austria said that the issue of impunity had been recognized as the biggest obstacle to ensuring the safety of journalists and the gap between international standards and their actual implementation must be closed.

Morocco said that political will and a legislative framework must be in place to ensure the safety of journalists and fight impunity and to that end Morocco had created the National Press Council and had developed the Ethic Charter for journalists, and was also providing for the certification of journalists. Unequivocal political will was a prerequisite, stressed Brazil, and that was why Brazil had created a Working Group on journalists which came up with recommendations to the Government to ensure that journalists worked in an enabling environment. Based on the experience of its journalists, Estonia suggested that there might be a need for a specific international action code to protect journalists from arbitrary actions in some countries. Tunisia said it systematically renounced and prosecuted all acts of violence against journalists, which had mainly been committed by non-State actors, and asked whether there was a need to further strengthen international and national legal framework for journalist protection.

Montenegro shared information about measures taken to address violence against women journalists and asked the panellists about best domestic measures to prevent attacks against journalists. Ecuador said it had a Responsible Journalist Prize which covered five categories of journalism and would be awarded in September 2014. In addition to political will and the legislation in place to protect human rights defenders, union leaders, judges and journalists, Colombia said it had set up the national protection unit within the Office of Attorney General, which now offered protection schemes to over 100 journalists. Article XIX said that often, murder was the last signpost of failed protection and impunity was the greatest obstacle to the safety of journalists. International Federation of Journalists welcomed the timely discussion today and urged the Human Rights Council to give urgent attention to the safety of journalists in the Central African Republic. Press Emblem Campaign stressed that an independent international mechanism accessible to journalists and their families would be the right step in combating impunity.

GHIDA FAKHRY, Journalist and Panel Moderator, said that it was safe to say that there was an unusual level of consensus in the room, at least on the issue of publicly stating a need to protect journalists. The only big gap was on how to do it. What was echoed was how to ensure that the international community and international organizations and civil society could put pressure on States if they failed to meet their obligations.

FRANK LA RUE, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said that when States failed in their obligations, it was important to use all forms to call their attention. In the Human Rights Council, there had been a big discussion about how far should reporting go. There should be an element of further disclosure. The feeling was that that in itself was not enough. In the United Nations Joint Plan of Action, there was talk of a joint United Nations agency effort on a concentrated list of actions and verifying the process in which attacks against journalists were occurring, so that there could be a database, which could also be published. There were problems of privacy and security of journalists, but this was an issue that should be looked at.

GETACHEW ENGIDA, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, did not believe that it was time to have a legal instrument. There were sufficient international instruments. There was a lack of action on the ground and there was a lack of sufficient political commitment and will. To get this, pressure had to be kept at different angles, including pressure on a continuous basis on Governments to fulfil their commitments.

DUNJA MIJATOVIC, Representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Freedom of the Media, said that rights on and offline were the same and there should not be engagement in too much work on defining journalism and who was or was not a journalist. Governments needed to have more engagement with non-governmental organizations. In too many countries, there was a lack of communication and contact with non-governmental organizations working on the protection of journalists. Guidelines were produced by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in order to help journalists; they also contained recommendations for Governments. However, there was simply a lack of political will that had to be addressed in a more direct and open way.

FRANK LA RUE, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, strongly believed that political will internally was critically important. Every State had to take upon itself its responsibilities. It was important to respect the principle of privacy and anonymity of journalists, and to have an ombudsman or rapporteur in every single country or in regional bodies.

FRANK SMYTH, Journalist and Senior Advisor for Journalist Security at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said that action had to come from Member States at the ground level, within their own nations. Another United Nations instrument was not needed. What was needed was transparency. There had been a discussion about abuses being committed in Ukraine. There were other cases as well, such as in Russia. Local action was needed. States had to put their values in action in terms of what they were doing on the ground. Providing judicial information on attacks on journalists, especially on the ground, was one of the first steps to be taken.

ABEER SAADY, Journalist and Vice-President of the Syndicate of Journalists of Egypt, speaking about civil society, said that in some countries, journalists did not have syndicates that represented them. Civil society had to work on this recognised right. It was not possible to have good governance and accountability without a free-flow of information and the right of civil society to work on the ground, with freedom of expression. Without the flow of information or freedom of expression, there was nothing on the ground. Journalists mainly worked on those issues.

GETACHEW ENGIDA, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that UNESCO was a very small organization with a big mandate. To translate the mandate into practice it needed partnership from different parts of society. Without this, it was difficult to practice the free-flow of information and for that reason UNESCO considered its partnerships critically important for the free-flow of information to expand, develop, and further strengthen.

Algeria thanked participants for sharing good practices and reiterated journalists’ contributions to society, as well as for ensuring democracy and good governance. In Algeria freedom of expression was enshrined in the Constitution. Slovenia said that the safety of journalists had to be ensured while covering mass demonstrations, conflicts or crises; this was essential to ensure their work. Journalists played an important role in society and their protection was therefore in the public interest. Mexico said that the safety of communicators was of importance and Mexico since 2012 had had a protection mechanism for human right defenders and journalists, which adopted specific measures on particular cases; additionally, the office of a special prosecutor for the attention of crimes committed against journalists had been created. Lithuania stressed the agreement on ensuring the web and the protection of journalists; clarity on how to implement available tools world-wide, such as the United Nations plan of action for the safety of journalists, was needed. United Kingdom noted that the ability of journalists to operate freely was a requirement for freedom of expression and the protection of human rights, emphasising the need for States to prevent violence, carry out investigations, and bring perpetrators to justice. What were the most common challenges in closing the gap between legislative measures and implementation on the ground? Switzerland said that journalists contributed to transparency in public affairs and contributed with necessary information for democratic societies, and underscored the need of fighting impunity for perpetrators. Organisation international de la Francophonie said that it was working to integrate the objective of the protection of journalists among its priorities, and focused on the development of an environment that was conducive to the work of journalists.

United States agreed with the need for States to take clear legislative measures to prevent attacks and ensure accountability, as well as clear political will. France said that this was a subject in which both the Security Council and the Human Rights Council had a role to play as different acts of violence against journalists were on the rise. Journalists should be able to carry out their work without hindrance, and France was working with other partners to mobilise expertise in Geneva to ensure the collective implementation of practical solutions. Poland said that freedom of expression constituted a cornerstone of democratic societies. Journalists were the eyes and voices of democratic societies, giving hope to people who struggled under undemocratic regimes. Protection should cover all news providers in times of peace and conflict. Greece welcomed the panel discussion and recalled its engagement in the Security Council and the General Assembly on this topic, as it saw the safety of journalists as closely related to freedom of expression and democracy. India took note of good practices for ensuring the protection of journalists. The media played an important role in promoting accountability and as a watchdog of civil liberties but it should also be exercised with responsibility. There was a need for journalists to operate within the legal framework of their respective countries.

Eastern Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project said journalists, bloggers and other independent media voices played an important role in the promotion of human rights. Journalists from the region were routinely subject to violations of their most basic and fundamental human rights by State and non-State actors. International Humanist and Ethical Union said that an attack on a journalist violated not only the individual’s right to free expression, but also that of others to seek and obtain information. Free expression could be undermined by many mechanisms. One that still held traction was the use of subjective notions of offense and insult. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development welcomed the initiative at the international level to discuss the safety of journalists. Violence against journalists in the media and impunity continued to be a pressing concern in Southeast Asia and it was recommended that States take appropriate and immediate steps.

Portugal said freedom of expression and opinion were at the core of human rights. It strongly condemned attacks and the prosecution of journalists, and pleaded for the adoption of effective steps to protect journalists and ensure a safe environment for their work. China said journalists had the obligation to provide timely and truthful information and faced emergency and dangerous situations. China protected the safety of journalists in accordance with the law as long as they conducted their work in accordance with the law. Ireland said that an attack on a journalist was an attack on free society and on the values and the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and had to be understood as such. Punishment could make an essential contribution to prevention.

Czech Republic said that it provided yearly financial support to numerous projects with the aim to raise the quality of journalism and the overall media landscape. It hoped to hear about further best practices and looked forward to the summary outcome of this panel discussion. Pakistan said that a free and independent media was an important pillar of Pakistan. It was underscored that all cases of intimidation and harassment against journalists got immediate attention and were addressed by the Parliament and judiciary. Italy strongly believed that the safety and protection of journalists remained a key priority for the full implementation of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. While the protection of journalists was a primary responsibility of the State, could it be elaborated on what contribution partnership with civil society could make?

GHIDA FAKHRY, Journalist and Panel Moderator, said that all statements heard today pointed to how wide the problem of safety of journalists was and noted that when speaking about the safety of journalists, many thought mainly of their physical safety, but what was often more at stake was their freedom of expression.

FRANK LA RUE, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said that physical risks and dangers were obvious but it was clear that there was an increase in censorship and mechanisms to silence journalists. Decriminalizing defamation was therefore very important. There was also a need to establish corporate responsibility of big media outlets for their own journalists, their wellbeing and livelihoods. It was impossible to act freely if media were concentrated in monopolies, be they public or private.

GHIDA FAKHRY, Journalist and Panel Moderator, asked Ms. Mijatovic whether there was a need to give a specific human rights focus to the issue of the safety of journalists and frame the issue in human rights terms.

DUNJA MIJATOVIC, Representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on Freedom of the Media, said that a human rights approach to the safety of journalists was important and many organizations were already employing this approach. Ms. Mijatovic stressed that often forgotten was the need for psychological support for journalists working in conflict zones and how States could help in providing this support. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was now focused on the treatment of journalists in Ukraine, where over 300 case of abuse had been reported. In a situation like this, it was imperative to act and not talk about new international conventions.

Turning to Mr. Engida, GHIDA FAKHRY, Journalist and Panel Moderator, asked how technical assistance from the United Nations and regional organizations helped States and whether more United Nations Special Rapporteurs should look into freedom of expression and the safety of journalists. How could the United Nations help navigate the difficult environment in which journalists operated?

GETACHEW ENGIDA, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that the United Nations agencies should continue to strengthen their technical assistance to Member States and States should ensure that freedom of speech was respected. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was pushing for the post-2015 development agenda to include freedom of expression, the rule of law and good governance as a stand-alone goal. Mr. Engida referred States to consult the recent UNESCO report on freedom of expression, which also addressed the issue of gender and freedom of expression. The United Nations agencies were not the only actors, global and regional partnerships were needed with Governments and civil society.

FRANK SMYTH, Journalist and Senior Advisor for Journalist Security at the Committee to Protect Journalists, concerning root causes and the need to address impunity, said that the most important step had to do with transparency and echoed Ireland concerning State involvement, ranging from mayors to security forces. To start moving in the right direction, States which had not yet responded to UNESCO’s Director-General’s call for information should do so in order for this data to be made public. Journalists and Member States should be transparent.

ABEER SAADY, Journalist and Vice-President of the Syndicate of Journalists of Egypt, responding to the impact of restrictions and attacks on the profession, said ethics were very important. Transparency and accountability contributed to preventing further violations.

FRANK LA RUE, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said that the biggest problem was impunity. After that, enhancing the possibilities for investigations should be the way forward.

DUNJA MIJATOVIC, Representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Freedom of the Media, said that States should not intervene with freedom of the media in contravention of international standards. States should also investigate any attacks.

GETACHEW ENGIDA, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that the main challenge was to secure a political commitment from Governments because otherwise the wide range of measures available would not really have an effect.

BAUDELAIRE NDONG ELLA, President of the Human Rights Council, thanked Ms. Fakhry for the quality of her moderation. Panellists and all the others that had participated were also thanked for their contributions.

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For use of the information media; not an official record