The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Tuesday that it had sent letters to the heads of government and embassies of Israel, Peru, the Philippines, Somalia and Ukraine with a request that they address the impunity for crimes against journalists seen in their respective countries
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2019) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Tuesday that it had sent letters to the heads of government and embassies of Israel, Peru, the Philippines, Somalia and Ukraine with a request that they address the impunity for crimes against journalists seen in their respective countries.
"We urge governments of Israel, Peru, the Philippines, Somalia and Ukraine to take diligent action to counter their apparent indifference to deadly attacks on journalists. There is so much more to be done to fight impunity and allow journalists to work without fear or threat of being killed. It is time for justice for victims of violence," IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said, as quoted in the press release.
This move is a part of a campaign called "End Impunity 2019," the goal of which is to increase awareness of the issue of impunity in these countries. As part of the initiative, governments are called to account for their shortages of investigations and the absence of punishment for those involved in attacking, harassing or killing journalists.
In a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Bellanger mentioned that 16 journalists had been killed in Ukraine with impunity since 1995, including one instance this year. IFJ's chief also conveyed to Zelenskyy that 55 cases of physical aggression against journalists had been recorded in 2019 alone.
In a letter to the Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, Bellanger stressed the unacceptability of the absence of punishment for those responsible for the deaths of 31 journalist in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip over last 10 years.
Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, was urged to take action on the lack of punishment for killers of journalists in Ampatuan and elsewhere.
In a letter to Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Bellanger noted that Somalia represented a real danger for journalists, while Martin Vizcarra, the president of Peru, was asked to look into lack of investigations into crimes against journalists in his country.
According to IFJ data, more than 1,000 journalists have been killed in the last 10 years worldwide, and 36 so far in 2019.
