The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres in a statement copied to APA on Friday, strongly denounced all forms of violence against journalists, not without warning of the consequences of such acts.
“According to figures from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), nearly 100 journalists were killed in 2018. Hundreds of them are behind bars. When media professionals are targeted, society as a whole suffers,” Guterres warned.
That is why Guterres took the opportunity of World Press Freedom Day celebrated today (Friday) to call on “all to defend the rights of journalists, whose work helps us to build a better world for all.”
The 9th Secretary General of the United Nations, who took office on January 1, 2017, said that “the rise in hate speech against the media has led to an increase in acts of violence and harassment against journalists, especially women.”
He said he was “particularly alarmed by the increase in attacks and the existence of a culture of impunity” and recalled that “freedom of the press is a prerequisite for peace, justice, sustainable development and human rights.”
In addition, the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated that “there can be no full democracy without access to transparent and reliable information.”
On this basis, Mr. Guterres stressed that “press freedom is the cornerstone of building fair and impartial institutions; it also allows leaders to be held accountable and to express the truth to the powerful.”
According to the Portuguese, “this is particularly true during an election period (since) it is not lies but facts that must guide the choice of citizens when they elect their representatives.”
Speaking about the influence of digital technology in transforming information, the UN scribe acknowledged that “technology is sometimes used to mislead public opinion or to stir up violence and hatred. Civic space is shrinking at an alarming rate all over the world.”
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