UN Chief:

88 journalists killed in 2018

TEHRAN(defapress) – In his message on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, November 2, 2018, the United Nations secretary-general said at least 88 journalists have been killed this year alone.

News ID: 73426

Date: 01 November 2018 - 11:34

'In just over a decade, more than a thousand journalists have been killed while carrying out their indispensable work. Nine out of ten cases are unresolved, with no one held accountable,' said Antonio Guterres on Thursday.

Saying that female journalists are often at greater risk of being targeted because of both their reporting and their gender, he said, 'Many thousands more have been attacked, harassed, detained or imprisoned on spurious charges, without due process.'

He warned that this should not become the new normal. 'When journalists are targeted, societies as a whole pay a price.'

Calling on Governments and the international community to protect journalists and create the conditions they need to do their work, Guterres said journalists' work 'reminds us that truth never dies.'

He also said that reporting is not a crime and he urged the world to guard their 'commitment to the fundamental right to freedom of expression.'

Message end/