A/HRC/20/17 III. Challenges to the protection of journalists and media freedom outside of armed conflict situations A. Overview 48. The challenges that journalists encounter in undertaking their professional work are manifold. While the death or plight of foreign journalists in armed conflict situations frequently draw the attention of the international community, local journalists continue to face daily challenges in situations that have not reached the threshold of an armed conflict, but may be characterized by violence, lawlessness and/or repression. These range from restrictions to movement, including deportations and denial of access into a country or a particular area; arbitrary arrests and detention, particularly during public crises or demonstrations; torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including sexual violence against female journalists; confiscation of and damages to equipment, information theft, illegal surveillance and office break-ins; intimidation, including summons to police stations for questioning, harassment of family members, death threats, stigmatization and smear campaigns to discredit journalists; abductions or enforced disappearance to killings. 49. Since 1 January 2011, the Special Rapporteur has addressed communications relating to instances of restrictions or violence against journalists to the governments of Angola, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Honduras, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Russian Federation, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam and Yemen.3 50. A notable trend in 2011 was the increase in the number of attacks against journalists during coverage of street protests and demonstrations, such as arbitrary arrests and detention, verbal and physical attacks, confiscation or destruction of equipment, as well as killings in countries such as Angola, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Libya, Malawi, Maldives, Russian Federation, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Yemen.4 51. Attacks against journalists may be perpetrated by a range of actors – State or nonState – such as organized crime groups, terrorist groups, security forces or militia. Journalists are placed at risk of attack for documenting and disseminating information deemed to be “inconvenient,” including on human rights violations, environmental issues, corruption, organized crime, drug trafficking, public crises, emergencies or public demonstrations. 52. Female journalists also face additional risks, such as sexual assault, mob-related sexual violence aimed against journalists covering public events, or sexual abuse in detention or captivity. Many of these attacks are not reported as a result of powerful cultural and professional stigmas. 5 A gender-sensitive approach is therefore needed when considering measures to address the issue of violence against journalists. 3 4 5 See A/HRC/18/51, A/HRC/19/14, A/HRC/20/30. Ibid. Lauren Wolfe, “The silencing crime: Sexual violence against journalists,” Special report, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 7 June 2011. Available at http://cpj.org/reports/2011/06/silencing-crimesexual-violence-journalists.php. 9