NEW PLEDGES NOT CREDIBLE WITHOUT ACTION, SAY PRESS FREEDOM GROUPS
| 7. July 2019
On 9 July, 33 press freedom and media development organisations met in London in advance of the Global Media Freedom Conference to call on all participating States to ensure the protection and safety of all journalists and media workers in compliance with their existing obligations and international standards.
The group, representing and working with hundreds of thousands of journalists and media workers, said new pledges will only be credible if States immediately:
- Release all imprisoned journalists;
- Stop killing, attacking and denigrating journalists;
- Investigate and prosecute all murders of journalists.
The group demands all States hold themselves and their counterparts accountable and show demonstrable progress. Several States attending the Conference currently have journalists in prison and unsolved murders.
The group put forth 11 recommended commitments for States attending the Global Media Freedom Conference, hosted by the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada.