HRC BACKGROUND GUIDE

(HRC BACKGROUND GUIDE) (2)

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

STUDY GUIDE

Discussing the rights and protection of journalists with special focus on conflict areas

INTRODUCTION:

Who is a Journalist?

Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information. News is that part of communication that keeps us informed of the changing events, issues, and characters in the world outside. Though it may be interesting or even entertaining, the foremost value of news is as a utility to empower the informed. The purpose of journalism is thus to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments. Now that the importance of journalism is known, the importance of a journalist can be easily comprehended as the job done by a journalist is referred to as journalism. There are various forms of journalism, these include visual journalism, cyber journalism etc.

What are the threats faced by journalists?

Normally it is expected journalists face threats mostly in war or conflict oriented zones, but that is just a branch of a big tree. Many deaths of journalists are faced by those oriented in regions which have been the bait for Mother Nature’s fury (earthquake, tsunami, hurricanes etc). For example, during the 2011 devastation in Japan, as soon as the earthquake struck most journalists and press rushed to the epicentre having no idea that a tsunami was to follow and put their life at stake. These are not the only threats. Many journalists face threats within the society. Governments are always sensitive to the information shared by the journalists and the press. Many times the governments confiscate the satellite licenses and naturally obstruct the working of a journalist. All governments restrict freedom of journalists, but the level of restriction varies drastically from country to country. Now let us look at the threats faced by journalists. Many times when journalists catch hold of sensitive information they are threatened by various groups from political parties, to a group of anti-social people to non- state actors (terrorists). The corruption of government officials has played a huge negative role to this already pathetic situation.

STATISTIC INFORMATION OF DEATHS OF JOURNALIST AND THE CAUSES BETWEEN 2004-2014

VULNERABILITY OF WOMEN JOURNALISTS:

Journalism can be a dangerous profession. In order to cover breaking stories, journalists put themselves in contexts of war, conflict and natural disasters, while in order to report on corruption, human rights abuses and political chicanery, journalists often incur the wrath of the most powerful in society. Journalism historically was a male profession and women have often encountered sexism from their colleagues as well as from outsiders (Tumber, 2006). The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) documents attacks on journalists that include targeted killings, physical attacks, censorship tactics, confiscation of equipment and anti-press legislation. 1,005 journalists have been killed around the world since 1992 (CPJ, n.d.). Already some 31 journalists have been killed in 2013. Statistics on the CPJ website suggest that 3% of those (6% since 1992) have been women (CPJ, 2013). The International Media Safety Institute (INSI) seems to have collapsed, although its ‘Joint code of practice for journalists working in conflict zones’ or ‘safety guidelines’ was adopted in November 2000, by a range of television companies, including APTN and Reuters TV.Many journalists were killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Syrian conflict has recently seen the deaths of two women journalists. Maria Colvin of the British Sunday Times was killed in Homs, Syria in February 2012 when a makeshift press centre was struck by a shell; she had already lost one eye covering the Sri Lankan civil war a decade earlier. Yara Abbas, a correspondent for the pro-government TV channel Al-Ikhbariya, was killed when her crew’s vehicle came under rebel sniper fire in May 2013 in Al-Qusayr, Syria , according to official Syrian news sources.

Since women journalists often find themselves in locations that are in socio-political turmoil, they are sadly sometimes the specific focus of violence. Recent cases of such violence have occurred in political mobilisations in Egypt, especially in Tahrir Square. CBS News’ Lara Logan was attacked during the 2011 revolution, saying ‘men in the crowd had raped me with their hands’. The Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy was assaulted by Egyptian security forces in November 2011, as was a France 3 TV reporter Caroline Sinz. Natasha Smith was gang raped in June 2012 and a Dutch reporter was raped in July 2013 (Daily Mail, 2012). While a young female photojournalist was gang-raped in Mumbai in August 2013 in the second of such violent attacks on women. Sadly, this is not a new subject. In 2005 the International News Safety Institute in Brussels conducted a survey of female war reporters. It found that of the 29 respondents who took part, over half reported sexual harassment on the job while two said they had experienced sexual abuse. But the survey also found out that women often do not report such violence and are loathe to talk about it for fear that it would affect gender equality and their ability to be sent on important assignments.

James Foley being beheaded by the IS

COUNTRY STATISTICS:

TURKEY:

With a total of 72 media personnel currently detained, of whom at least 42 journalists and four media assistants are being held in connection with their media work, Turkey is now the world’s biggest prison for journalists. Amnesty’s recent report on Freedom of Expression in Turkey highlights the variety of tools that Turkish authorities utilize to silence critical voices in the press. These attacks are part of a larger pattern of criminalizing dissent. Turkish authorities have other, more subtle ways of targeting journalists,Nuray Mert, Ece Temelkuran, Hasan Cemal… the most prominent journalists in Turkey have either been “forced to step down” or were unceremoniously sacked by their employers for engaging in serious journalism that occasionally embarrassed the government. Political pressure is brought to bear and the newspapers, fully aware of the vigor with which authorities pursues its “political enemies,” quickly fold. It all happens with remarkable speed and disturbing frequency.

RUSSIA:

More than 300 journalists killed in Russia since 1993. New investigations are needed into cases of violence against journalists and those at risk need immediate protection, according to a new ARTICLE 19 report launched in Moscow. The report ‘Russian Federation: Journalists under Attack’ finds that the authorities are failing to address violence against journalists in violation of international human rights standards and Russian law. The failure to bring the perpetrators and instigators of these attacks to justice is contributing to a climate of impunity in the country. Furthermore, the report highlights that the North Caucasus region is the deadliest place in country for journalists and media workers.

USA:

Press freedom in the United States enjoys a strong foundation of legal protection in the federal Constitution, in state and federal laws, and in court decisions. The Supreme Court has repeatedly issued decisions that take an expansive view of freedom of expression and the press. In particular, court decisions have given broad protection to the press from libel or defamation suits that involve commentary on public figures. An exception to judicial support for press freedom involves demands by prosecutors for information gathered by journalists in the course of their journalistic investigations, including material from confidential sources. In the most high profile recent case, New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed for 85 days in 2005 for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury in a case involving the leaking of the identity of a Central Intelligence Agency employee, Valerie Plame. In 2006, it was revealed that the special prosecutor for the Plame case knew early on that the source for the leak was Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. In the end, no one was charged with leaking the information; the only person charged in the case was Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, who was indicted on allegations of perjury and obstruction of justice. As a result of the high-profile nature of the Plame case and the actual imprisonment of Miller, many within the media are concerned that this has put a chill on investigative reporting by making potential sources more reluctant to come forward and confide in journalists who may no longer be able to ensure their anonymity. In 2005, the Miller case provoked members of Congress to propose legislation that would shield reporters from being compelled to reveal confidential sources. Although there was considerable bipartisan support for the legislation at the time and more than 30 states In recent years reporters from several prominent newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, have published a series of investigative articles that have called into question various aspects of the Bush administration's war on terror and its conduct of the Iraq War. In June, several newspapers published articles that revealed that the administration had gained access to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications in search of material that might involve money transfers by terrorists. Publication of the articles drew sharp criticism from President Bush and members of Congress, and a threat by Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez that the New York Times could face criminal prosecutions and potentially charges of treason. In 2005, the Bush administration was criticized for having paid several political commentators who supported certain domestic policy initiatives through grants from agencies of the federal government; a report by federal auditors concluded that the administration's efforts amounted to "covert propaganda." However, there were no further reports of such incidents in the year 2006. Media coverage of political affairs is aggressive and often polarized. The press itself is frequently a source of controversy, with conservatives and supporters of the Bush administration accusing the media of anti administration bias and liberals accusing the press of timidity in coverage of administration misdeeds. The appearance of enhanced polarization is driven to some degree by the growing influence of blog sites, many of which are aggressively partisan. Nonetheless, most American newspapers make a serious effort to keep a wall of separation between news reporting, commentary, and editorials. Ironically, the trend towards fewer family owned newspapers and more newspapers under corporate control has contributed to a less partisan, if blander, editorial tone. s already have such "shield laws," no legislative progress had been made at the federal level by the end of the year. 

Case Study:

Narges Mohammadi (Iran)

Narges Mohammadi is a journalist who works closely with Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi and acts as spokesperson of the Centre for Human Rights Defenders. Mohammadi was first arrested in 1998 for her criticisms of the Iranian government and spent a year in prison. In April 2010, she was summoned to the Islamic Revolutionary Court for her membership in the DHRC. She was briefly released on US$50,000 bail but re-arrested several days later and detained at Evin prison. In July 2011, Mohammadi was prosecuted again, and found guilty of "acting against the national security, membership of the DHRC and propaganda against the regime”. In September she was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment. In March 2012, the sentence was upheld by an appeals court, though it was reduced to six years. On 26 April, she was arrested to begin her sentence .In July 2012, an international group of lawmakers called for her release, including US Senator Mark Kirk, former Canadian Attorney General Irwin Cotler, UK MP Denis MacShane, Australian MP Michael Danby, Italian MP Fiamma Nirenstein, and Lithuanian MP Emanuelis Zingeris. On July 31, 2012, Mohammadi was released from prison. Later, a new case filed against her by the Iranian authorities and thus on May 5, 2015, Ms. Mohammadi was again arrested on the basis of new charges.

Gao Yu (China)

Gao’s journalistic career began in the 1980s at the government wire service, China News Service. She went on to become the vice editor of the liberal Economics Weekly, which was shut down for its instrumental role during the pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. For reporting on and supporting the protests, Gao was imprisoned from June 1989 to August 1990. She was imprisoned again from 1993 to 1999 on charges of “illegally provided state secrets abroad” – the same charge she currently faces. On April 24, 2014, she was again detained, this time for allegedly leaking a document issued by the Chinese Communist Party, known as “Document Number 9,” which warned senior members against “seven perils,” including the “universal values” of human rights.

Mark Lobel

A BBC journalist has spoken of his ordeal after he was arrested for trying to film the appalling conditions of the migrant workers getting Qatar ready for 2022 World Cup.

Mark Lobel, the organization’s Middle East business correspondent, and the translator, driver and cameraman were questioned by the authorities during a PR trip after they tried to gather extra material.

The journalist had been invited to Qatar by the prime minister's office to show off the country's migrant worker accommodation. He was one of a dozen members of the international press.

The team had been on their way to film some Nepali workers when they were surrounded by eight white cars and speedily taken to a side road on Saturday, May 2.

Their arrest was dramatic. A dozen security officers frisked them in the street, shouting at them when they tried to talk. They took away their equipment and hard drives and drove them to their headquarters. Each individual was interrogated separately by an intelligence officer in a "hostile" manner.

BBC responded stating, "The Qatari authorities have made a series of conflicting allegations to justify the detention, all of which the team rejects. We are pressing the Qatari authorities for a full explanation and for the return of the confiscated equipment."

USEFUL LINKS:

http://en.rsf.org

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewYork/Stories/Pages/Safetyofjournalists.aspx

https://cpj.org/about/annual-report.php

http://www.mediasupport.org/

http://www.ifj.org/

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewYork/Stories/Pages/Egyptjournalistsverdict.aspx

(CHSVMUN 2015)