End impunity against journalists

As a result of frequent assaults and killing of journalists across the world by state and non-state actors, the United Nations set aside November 2 as the International Day to End Impunity against Journalists. The world body captures the reason for this declaration in its Paris Declaration in 2014 thus: “The continuing high level of killings of journalists call for intensified action by international organizations, governments, media and other actors to give heightened attention to strengthening the safety of journalists and to bringing their killers to justice.” Statistics by UNESCO indicate that 680 journalists have been killed across the world between 2006 and 2014, 94 per cent of them while operating in their own countries. The report says as many as 41 per cent of journalists who lost their lives within that period worked in the print media. Crimes against media personnel are unfounded because journalists neither bear arms nor engage in illegal activities. Journalists engage in research work, collect data, write reports and distribute their publications or air their reports to the general public. They do not engage in any form of violence. In Nigeria, the role of the media is captured in Section 22 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution which says “The Press, Radio, Television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives [of the constitution] and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.” From the foregoing, journalism is a legitimate profession recognized by the law, hence the crimes against journalists are unwarranted. A report by the Committee to Protect Journalists says that between 1992 and 2013, 19 journalists were killed in Nigeria. While 10 were killed in the line of duty, CPJ said it was not clear why the other nine were killed by non-state actors. But apart from the killings, journalists are brutalized on a regular basis, most of which go unreported. For instance, CPJ reported that in the month of May 2015 in Nigeria, four journalists were assaulted in one week alone. Also, a report by the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos says Nigerian police and security agencies were responsible for at least 24 of 32 cases of attacks on journalists between November 2014 and February 2015. Such attacks from state and non-state actors create fear among journalists as they carry out their legitimate tasks. We wish to draw the attention of government, security agencies and the general public to the fact that journalists carry out their jobs within the ambit of the law. Therefore, instead of resorting to violence against media personnel, anyone who is aggrieved at the activities of journalists should seek redress in the court of law, instead of physically attacking or even killing journalists. We further call on government and security agencies to ensure that crimes against journalists are investigated and prosecuted to their logical conclusion. For instance, investigation into the death of Dele Giwa, the founding Editorin-Chief of Newswatch magazine, through a parcel bomb on October 19, 1986 has not been concluded thirty years after. Because of the lack of a conclusive investigation by the police, no one has been dragged to court over the murder. This is very unfortunate. In addition to government and security operatives, we call on the judiciary to ensure that cases of crimes against journalists are treated with dispatch. There are many instances in which journalists have dragged law enforcement officers before the judiciary to seek redress over clear cases of abuse. Instead of justice, they experience frustration as judges adjourn cases for months or even years. Under such atmosphere journalists cannot perform their function of ensuring that those in authority are scrutinized and made to be accountable to the people in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Constitution.