International Press - Courtesy

The Secretary General of the United Nations has called for an end to the impunity of threats and attacks against Journalists.

António Guterres made the remarks ahead of the commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day tomorrow.

He said media workers are directly targeted on and offline while carrying out their vital work.

The UN Secretary-General said media personnel are routinely harassed, detained, intimidated, and imprisoned.

In a statement, the UN Secretary-General, Guterres also called for an end to the detention and imprisoning of journalists for doing their jobs.

“On this and every World Press Freedom Day, the world must speak with one voice. Stop the threats and attacks,” said the UN official.

“Stop detaining and imprisoning journalists for doing their jobs. Stop the lies and disinformation. Stop targeting truth and truth-tellers. As journalists stand up for truth, the world stands up with them.”

The former president of Portugal said the UN has established a Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists to protect media workers and end impunity for crimes committed against them.

He stated that at least 67 journalists were killed in 2022.

In South Sudan, at least 10 journalists have been killed since 2014.

Apparently, there is no report of a journalist detained for doing their work in the country.

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference.

Since then, on 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.

According to the United Nations, May 3 acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom.

It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.

It is an opportunity to: celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The global theme for this year is “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights”