A/HRC/20/22 journalists in recent years, whose stories often contain information about corruption involving multinationals.17 36. One of the main changes in the way in which the news is disseminated around the world in recent years has been the emergence of online journalists, both professionals as well as people who are untrained, who use social media. With the spread and increased availability of technology, the pool of who we now consider journalists has expanded rapidly, and so has the number of people who are potential targets of those who want to control the flow of information. In parts of Mexico, for example, the conventional media have for all practical purposes been replaced by new media—and assassins have likewise moved their sights. 37. More than 70 per cent of journalists murdered are reported to have received prior threats.18 This shows that there is significant room for preventative measures to be taken. In an interconnected world, raising the alarm publicly can have a restraining effect, and one of the challenges is to find ways in which this can be done more effectively. 38. Are all deaths of journalists captured in the aforementioned statistics preventable? Probably not. Those who get close to violence will always be at risk of being caught in the crossfire. If journalists become direct participants in the hostilities they cover, they are also not protected from being targeted. But even in such cases, the risks can be reduced if all parties to the conflict recognize the legitimacy of the presence of journalists, and if the journalists themselves are better prepared. The execution of journalists on account of their work can never be accepted. Journalists, like other people, are subject to the ordinary laws of the land, and as such are accountable. However, the appropriate reaction to their work when they challenge the status quo, and even in those cases where they fall foul of the law, can never be extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution. B. The protective framework 39. A variety of mechanisms exist to protect journalists from attack, and to ensure accountability where this fails. 1. International human rights law and policy 40. There is no specific international treaty dedicated specifically to the protection of journalists from physical attacks. Various parts of the international system collectively play this role. 41. Most pertinently, the right to life is recognized as a rule of customary international law,19 and specifically in article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It is a right that may not be derogated from in times of emergency, such as war.20 A wider network of rights is also 17 18 19 20 8 See for example Article 19, ―Indonesia: journalists risk lives for reporting on environmental impacts and local politics‖, 13 August 2010, available from www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/1602/en/indonesia:-journalists-risk-lives-for-reporting-onenvironmental-impacts-and-local-politics. CPJ, ―Risks shift as coverage of political unrest proves deadly‖, available from www.cpj.org/2012/02/attacks-on-the-press-in-2011-journalists-killed-an.php. Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (A/HRC/17/28), para. 43. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 4; see also the American Convention on Human Rights, art. 27; the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, art. 15; and the Arab Charter on Human Rights, art. 4, para. 2.