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Last Friday, the world celebrated the "International Day Against Impunity for Crimes against Journalists". In its resolution of the General Assembly A / RES / 68/163 of 18 December 2013, the UN unequivocally condemned all attacks and violence against journalists and media professionals, including torture. , extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, acts of intimidation and harassment.
The Assembly proclaimed November 2 as "International Day for the Fight against Journalists' Impunity", calling on member states to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and professionals medias; to ensure accountability through impartial, timely and effective investigations into allegations of violence against media professionals in their jurisdiction and to bring perpetrators to justice.
The UN then urged member states to promote a safe and conducive environment for journalists without undue interference; sensitization of law enforcement officials and court orders as well as civil society as a whole to human rights, humanitarian law obligations and journalists' safety commitments; by publicly monitoring and condemning attacks against journalists and by allocating resources for the investigation and prosecution of such attacks.
This noble decision by the first multilateral organization followed the assassination in Mali on 2 November 2013 of Claude Verlon, 55, and Ghislaine Dupont, 57, journalists of Radio France Internationale (RFI) in post in Mali.
Their assassination brought to 42 the number of journalists killed in the world that year.
1,010 journalists killed worldwide in 2005-2017
Some 1,010 journalists were reported killed in the world between 2005 and 2017, apparently for publicly broadcasting news, knowledge, information and opinions.
This is an average of 84,166 media workers killed each year in a situation where no death should be tolerated and go unpunished.
But the reality on the ground – and various studies have shown – is that in nine out of ten cases, killers of journalists and other media professionals are left unpunished …
As a result, impunity persists, leading to further intimidation, harassment, kidnapping / abduction / enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture, mutilation, kidnapping, and other forms of punishment. extrajudicial executions, etc., leading to the deterioration of judicial and other systems.
"Impunity" is of course "freedom or exemption from punishment or punishment". This feeds wrongful acts – criminal and otherwise – on the part of their perpetrators who "know" that they have no reason to fear being punished for their actions.
Unfortunately, since 2015, journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders and political opposition leaders have been seriously targeted by draconian legislation, legal and extra-legal measures by the authorities. of the state.
In these deplorable conditions, the freedoms of peaceful expression, peaceful assembly and association, as well as fundamental human rights, are being eroded relentlessly.
Tanzania is therefore not entirely free from blame in these areas and, as such, we should ideally be at the forefront of the process of "honoring and obeying" the International Day for the elimination of impunity for crimes against journalists ".
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