A/HRC/27/35 53. The digital age has brought unlimited opportunities for the dissemination of information. New forms of journalism and media are emerging. Every individual has the right to freedom of expression within the bounds described in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and is entitled to protection in the exercise of that right. Rights are the same online as offline. States are encouraged to approach the issue of safety of journalists from a human rights perspective. 54. An unequivocal political commitment to ensuring that journalists can carry out their work safely is a critical prerequisite of any system of protection. States, which bear the primary responsibility to protect journalists, must close the broad gap between international standards and their commitments in international forums, and the actual implementation of those standards domestically. 55. The safety of journalists cannot be realized without a domestic legal framework, firmly grounded on international human rights law, which offers robust protection for freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of the media. Mechanisms of censorship and legal harassment must be removed. Defamation should be decriminalized. National security and anti-terrorism laws should not be used to silence journalists. Concentrations of power and monopolies should be broken, to allow the diversity and plurality of the media. 56. Every State needs a protection mechanism for journalists. Such an early warning and rapid response mechanism should be able to give journalists and other media workers immediate access to the appropriate authorities and to protective measures when they are threatened. Such a mechanism should be established in consultation with journalists and other media actors and organizations, and should comprise representatives from State bodies concerned with law enforcement and human rights, together with representatives of civil society, including journalism and media organizations. 57. Impunity for threats and attacks against journalists and media workers is, together with insufficient political will, the greatest obstacle to ensuring effectively the safety of journalists. Every act of violence committed against a journalist that goes unpunished is an open invitation for further violence. States were called upon to ensure accountability for threats and attacks against journalists and media workers by investigating all allegations, bringing perpetrators to justice and providing adequate remedies to victims, in accordance with international human rights standards. Good practices include the creation of special investigative units or independent commissions, the appointment of a specialized prosecutor, the adoption of specific protocols and methods of investigation and prosecution, and the training of prosecutors and the judiciary on the safety of journalists. 58. States should take proactive and preventive measures, such as by training law enforcement and military personnel on managing demonstrations or operating in the context of political or electoral activities, with full respect for the role of journalists, whose safety was to be ensured. 59. More generally, States should also work to address the root causes of violence against journalists and to create an enabling environment in which journalists and media workers can play their role freely and without interference. States should promote a culture of respect for freedom of expression and the role of independent and critical journalism. 60. States should maintain open lines of communication with civil society organizations, in particular those working with journalists and media workers, in order to identify the best ways of ensuring the protection of journalists. Partnerships 15