12. Requests the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in collaboration with
the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom
of opinion and expression, to prepare, working in consultation with States and
other relevant stakeholders, a compilation of good practices in the protection
of journalists, the prevention of attacks and the fight against impunity for
attacks committed against journalists, and to present the compilation in a
report to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-fourth session.
Full report:
Full report:
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the purposes and principles of
the Charter of the United Nations, Reaffirming the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, and recalling relevant international human rights treaties,
including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance, as well as the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional Protocols
thereto of 8 June 1977,
Recalling all relevant resolutions of the
Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council on the right to freedom
of opinion and expression, in particular Council resolution 12/16 of 2 October
2009, as well as Council resolutions 13/24 of 26 March 2010 and 20/8 of 5 July
2012,
Mindful that the right to freedom of
opinion and expression is a human right guaranteed to all in accordance with
articles 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and that it constitutes
one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and one of the basic conditions
for its progress and development,
Reaffirming that everyone has the right to
life, liberty and security of person,
Recognizing the importance of all forms of
the media, including the printed media, radio, television and the Internet, in
the exercise, promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and
expression,
Acknowledging the particular role played by
journalists in matters of public interest, including by raising awareness of
human rights,
Underlining the importance of voluntary
professional principles and ethics developed and observed by the media,
Recognizing that the work of journalists
often puts them at specific risk of intimidation, harassment and violence,
Acknowledging the specific risks faced by women
journalists in the exercise of their work, and underlining, in this context,
the importance of taking a gender-sensitive approach when considering measures
to address the safety of journalists,
Taking note of the good practices of
different countries aiming at the protection of journalists, as well as, inter
alia, those designed for the protection of human rights defenders that can,
where applicable, be relevant to the protection of journalists,
Underlining the important role of regional
and subregional organizations in the safety of journalists,
Welcoming the important work of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for the safety of
journalists,
Taking note of the International Conference
on Protection of Journalists in Dangerous Situations, held on 22 and 23 January
2012 in Doha,
1. Recalls, in the
context of this resolution, the rights contained in the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, in particular article 19, which states
that:
1. Everyone shall have the right
to hold opinions without interference;
2. Everyone shall have the right
to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either
orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media
of his choice;
3. The exercise of the rights
provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it special duties and
responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but
these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:
(a) For respect of the rights or
reputations of others;
(b) For the protection of
national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or
morals;
2. Takes note of
the reports of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the
right to freedom of opinion and expression29 and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
executions,30 presented to the Human Rights
Council at its twentieth session, and the interactive dialogue thereon;
3. Expresses its concern
that violations of the right to freedom of opinion and expression continue
to occur, including increased attacks against and killings of journalists and
media workers, and stressing the need to ensure greater protection for all
media professionals and for journalistic sources;
4. Condemns in the
strongest terms all attacks and violence against journalists, such
as torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary
detention, as well as intimidation and harassment;
5. Expresses its concern that
there is a growing threat to the safety of journalists posed by non-State
actors, including terrorist groups and criminal organizations;
6. Calls on all parties to
armed conflict to respect their obligations under international human rights
law and international humanitarian law, including their obligations under the
Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and, where applicable, the Additional
Protocols thereto of 8 June 1977, the provisions of which extend protection to journalists
in situations of armed conflict, and to allow, within the framework of
applicable rules and procedures, media access and coverage, as appropriate, in
situations of international and non-international armed conflict;
7. Expresses its concern that
attacks against journalists often occur with impunity, and calls upon States to
ensure accountability through the conduct of impartial, speedy and effective
investigations into such acts falling within their jurisdiction, and to bring
to justice those responsible and to ensure that victims have access to
appropriate remedies;
8. Calls upon States
to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their
work independently and without undue interference, including by means of (a)
legislative measures; (b) awareness-raising in the judiciary, law enforcement
officers and military personnel, as well as journalists and civil society,
regarding international human rights and humanitarian law obligations and
commitments relating to the safety of journalists; (c) the monitoring and
reporting of attacks against journalists; (d) publicly condemning attacks; and
(e) dedicating necessary resources to investigate and prosecute such attacks;
9. Encourages States
to put in place voluntary protection programmes for journalists, based on local
needs and challenges, including protection measures that take into account the
individual circumstances of the persons at risk, as well as, where applicable,
the good practices in different countries;
10. Invites relevant
special procedures of the Human Rights Council, as appropriate, in the
framework of their mandates, to continue to address the relevant aspects of the
safety of journalists in their work;
11. Stresses the
need to ensure better cooperation and coordination at the international level
with regard to ensuring the safety of journalists, including with regional organizations,
and invites United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, other international
and regional organizations, Member States and all relevant stakeholders, when applicable
and in the scope of their mandates, to cooperate further in the implementation
of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue
of Impunity, elaborated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization and endorsed by the United Nations System Chief
Executives Board for Coordination;
12. Requests the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in collaboration with
the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom
of opinion and expression, to prepare, working in consultation with States and
other relevant stakeholders, a compilation of good practices in the protection
of journalists, the prevention of attacks and the fight against impunity for
attacks committed against journalists, and to present the compilation in a
report to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-fourth session.
37th meeting
27 September 2012
[Adopted
without a vote.]
https://extranet.ohchr.org/sites/hrc/HRCSessions/RegularSessions/21stSession/Pages/default.aspx
