Spotlight put on escalating attacks and slayings of journalists, renewed commitments urged
o mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) called for states to renew international commitments to combat crimes against journalists, given the recent erosion of free press and assault on democracy.
In a news release, the IBAHRI also called for a renewal of international commitments to addressing the impunity for crimes against journalists via independent investigations through proceedings with the International Criminal Court and national courts under the universal jurisdiction principle.
The IBAHRI said it was concerned about baseless and targeted lawsuits and the weaponization of the law against journalists around the world.
The IBAHRI cited the president of Georgia’s Apr. 2 signing of the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an example. The law requires the registration of independent media and non-governmental organizations that receive over 20 percent of their funding abroad as “acting in the interest of a foreign power.” Without such registration, these NGOs may face criminal charges.
The IBAHRI added that Peru amended Law 27692 on International Cooperation on Apr. 14 to include severe sanctions on those criticizing the government.
The IBAHRI noted that strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) still target journalists and media outlets and seek to silence their criticism by subjecting them to expensive and lengthy court proceedings.
The IBAHRI drew attention to how lawyers representing journalists have also been targeted. For instance, the international legal team led by Caoilfhionn Gallagher and representing Jimmy Lai in China decried online harassment and transnational repression by Chinese authorities.
In its news release, the IBAHRI also said the 10 independent lawyers acting for Jose Ruben Zamora in Guatemala felt forced to abandon the proceedings after facing persecution.
The IBAHRI stressed that the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers provide that lawyers should not be identified with their clients’ cause. The principles urge states to act swiftly to ensure accountability for transnational repression.
The IBAHRI shared data on the plight journalists are presently facing. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) claimed that last year was the deadliest for journalists since it started keeping records in 1992, with at least 124 journalists and media workers slain, mostly in conflict zones such as Gaza, where 85 of the killings occurred.
The CPJ found that 10 cases in Gaza and Lebanon included evidence supporting that these journalists died because they were specifically targeted. The CPJ said six journalists were killed in Sudan, with at least three targeted on purpose.
The IBAHRI shared that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression emphasized that, among the journalists slain within the Occupied Palestinian Territory, none received transparent investigations.
The IBAHRI noted that these specific targeted killings breach art. 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and potentially also amount to a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute.
Apart from these slayings, the IBAHRI expressed concern about the increasing number of arbitrary detentions of journalists around the world, with 2024 being the second highest recorded year for this figure.
The IBAHRI then discussed the situation journalists are facing under the administration of US President Donald Trump. The IBAHRI said the US has recently seen restrictions on press access to the White House and unfounded lawsuits against the media.
The IBAHRI called attention to the shuttering of the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia.
