A/HRC/RES/45/18 targeting of their family members or arbitrarily raiding and searching their residency, which often deters journalists from continuing their work or encourages self-censorship, consequently depriving society of important information, Equally concerned about incidents of the extraterritorial targeting of journalists and media workers, including harassment, surveillance and the arbitrary deprivation of life, Deeply concerned about all attempts to silence journalists and media workers, including by legislation that can be used to criminalize journalism, by the misuse of overbroad or vague laws to repress legitimate expression, including defamation and libel laws, laws on misinformation and disinformation or counter-terrorism and counterextremism legislation, when not in conformity with international human rights standards, and by business entities and individuals using strategic lawsuits against public participation to exercise pressure on journalists and stop them from critical and/or investigative reporting, Deeply concerned also that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis has significant implications for the work, health and safety of journalists and media workers, and in this regard concerned about the consequences of the economic impact of the pandemic, which increases the vulnerability of journalists and weakens media sustainability, independence and pluralism and worsens the risk of the spreading of misinformation and disinformation by limiting access to a wide range of reliable information and opinions, Alarmed at threats against, and arrests and involuntary disappearances, as well as disproportionate and undue restrictions on access to information or censorship, freedom of movement or accreditation, of journalists and media workers linked to their reporting on the pandemic, Deeply alarmed at the specific risks faced by women journalists in relation to their work, and underlining in this context the importance of taking a gender-responsive approach when considering measures to address the safety of journalists, including in the online sphere, in particular to effectively tackle gender-based discrimination, including sexual and genderbased violence, threats, including threats of rape, intimidation, harassment, online genderbased harassment and abuse, including blackmailing with private content, inequality and gender-based stereotypes, to enable women to enter and remain in journalism on terms of equality and non-discrimination while ensuring their greatest possible safety, and to ensure that the experiences and concerns of women journalists are effectively addressed, Taking into account that journalists may face specific risks in relation to their work due to various forms of discrimination, such as but not limited to sex, race, religion, ethnicity, minority status, disability or political affiliation, Welcoming the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, and taking note of her report on combating violence against women journalists,1 Expressing serious concern at attacks and violence against journalists and media workers, and at the specific risks faced by women journalists in relation to their work in situations of armed conflict, and recalling in this regard that journalists and media workers engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict are civilians under international humanitarian law and shall be protected as such, provided that they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians, Expressing deep concern at the growing threat to the safety of journalists posed by non-State actors, including terrorist groups and criminal organizations, Emphasizing the particular risks with regard to the safety of journalists in the digital age, including the particular vulnerability of journalists to becoming targets of unlawful or arbitrary surveillance and/or the interception of communications, hacking, including government-sponsored hacking, and denial of service attacks to force the shutdown of particular media websites or services, in violation of their rights to privacy and to freedom of expression, 1 A/HRC/44/52. 3