A/HRC/41/35/Add.1 C. Safety of journalists 32. The Special Rapporteurs agree that the changes in the country’s political context in 2017 have had a positive impact on the state of freedom of expression, with a decrease in attacks on journalists in 2018. Nevertheless, they were informed that the right to freedom of expression continued to be at risk, with civil society organizations reporting cases involving physical assaults against journalists and other people who exercise freedom of expression on a regular basis, and attacks on digital rights. While acknowledging the Government’s efforts to address this climate of violence against journalists, previously characterized by stigmatizing and denigrating speech, the Special Rapporteurs are concerned about the possibility that cases and acts of violence against journalists remain unpunished, thereby contributing to the occurrence of new cases. 33. The Special Rapporteurs also note that the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the journalist Javier Ortega Reyes, the press photographer Paúl Rivas Bravo and their driver, Efraín Segarra Abril, in 2018 was the most serious attack on the Ecuadorian media by an organized criminal group. In addition to issuing precautionary measures, the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights set up a special follow-up team at the request of Ecuador, outlining the mandate of the team in its resolution 54/2018 of 17 July 2018. The team was officially installed on 25 July 2018, and has been in operation ever since. The Special Rapporteurs condemn this atrocious crime and express their solidarity with the families of the men who were murdered. 34. The Special Rapporteurs note that the attack revealed protection deficiencies in Ecuador, which reportedly has almost no measures or protocols in place to ensure the safety of journalists and media workers. The case also drew public attention to shortcomings in access to public information, especially by families, during crisis situations such as kidnappings or disappearances. In view of this situation, the Special Rapporteurs urge the Government to take significant steps to strengthen press operations and security in Ecuador, especially in high-risk areas such as the border with Colombia, and to implement effective protection mechanisms. The Government should help establish risk maps and provide accurate information regarding potential dangers journalists may face. It should also collect and publish data regarding incidents of violence against journalists and media workers. 35. The Special Rapporteurs stress the importance of, and view positively, the creation of an inter-institutional committee for the protection of journalists and media workers, announced by the Secretary for Communication and established on 29 April 2019. According to reports, the committee will coordinate the efforts of various institutions and civil society to provide protection for journalists in situations of risk and to establish a violence-prevention policy. The Special Rapporteurs remind the State that this committee should include stakeholders such as journalists, civil society organizations, representatives of the media and relatives of victims. Its risk assessment methodologies should include a differentiated approach that takes account of the specific risks faced by certain groups of journalists, including women journalists and community and indigenous media workers. 36. In addition, the Special Rapporteurs recommend that the Government ensure that all staff members of every department involved in the committee be trained on how to meet their obligations to protect journalists and media workers, and that they fully understand the importance of the role of journalists in a democratic society. The Government must also provide sufficient resources for the initiative to ensure effective coordination among all the authorities and to enable it to operate sustainably in the different regions of the country. It is also essential to strengthen coordination with the Office of the Prosecutor General so that it can fulfil its responsibility to identify and investigate the risks faced by journalists who are attacked and threatened. The Government must be firm in its condemnation of threats and violence against journalists, and must investigate such incidents fully, effectively and impartially. 37. In addition to the reports of physical attacks, the Special Rapporteurs learned during their visits of reports of journalists and media outlets being hacked. Digital safety and security were often sabotaged by the previous Government, which carried out cyberattacks on journalists. Many journalists had their content taken down from social media and other 8