A/HRC/RES/27/5
the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, presented to the
Council at its twentieth session,1 and the interactive dialogue thereon,
Taking note with appreciation of the report of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights on good practices on the safety of journalists, submitted
to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-fourth session,2
Welcoming the panel discussion of the Human Rights Council on the issue of the
safety of journalists, held on 11 June 2014, and taking note with appreciation of the
summary report of the Office of the High Commissioner thereon, submitted to the Council
at its twenty-seventh session,3
Welcoming also the important work of the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization for the safety of journalists,
Noting with appreciation the international conference on the safety of journalists,
held in Warsaw on 23 and 24 April 2013, and its specific recommendations,
Recognizing that the work of journalists often puts them at specific risk of
intimidation, harassment and violence,
Deeply concerned by all human rights violations and abuses committed in relation to
the safety of journalists, including through killing, torture, enforced disappearance,
arbitrary detention, expulsion, intimidation, harassment, threats and acts of other forms of
violence,
Expressing serious concern at the recent attacks and violence against journalists and
media workers, in particular 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 shall be considered civilians and shall be protected as such, provided that
they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians,
Acknowledging the specific risks faced by women journalists in the exercise of their
work, and underlining in this context the importance of taking a gender-sensitive approach
when considering measures to address the safety of journalists,
Acknowledging also the particular vulnerability of journalists to becoming targets of
unlawful or arbitrary surveillance and/or interception of communications, in violation of
their rights to privacy and to freedom of expression,
Bearing in mind that impunity for attacks and violence against journalists constitutes
one of the main challenges to strengthening the protection of journalists, and emphasizing
that ensuring accountability for crimes committed against journalists is a key element in
preventing future attacks,
1.
Condemns unequivocally all attacks and violence against journalists and
media workers, such as torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary
detention, and intimidation and harassment in both conflict and non-conflict situations;
2.
Strongly condemns the prevailing impunity for attacks and violence against
journalists, and expresses grave concern that the vast majority of these crimes go
unpunished, which in turn contributes to the recurrence of these crimes;
1
2
3
2
A/HRC/20/17 and A/HRC/20/22.
A/HRC/24/23.
A/HRC/27/35.
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