United Nations: 'Crimes vs journalists, media workers intolerable'

MANILA, Philippines — Crimes against journalists and other media workers must not be tolerated, the United Nations has said.

In his remarks Monday to the Human Rights Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was alarmed by the “shrinking civic space in every region of the globe and every corner of the internet.”

“Activists and journalists are being targeted by surveillance, misinformation campaigns and threats of violence that too often result in actual violence,” Guterres said.

Harassment and attacks are on the rise, he added.

The secretary-general noted that over a thousand human rights defenders and journalists were killed in the last three years.

“We must do more to defend defenders and end reprisals against those who share their human rights stories and we must hold accountable those who commit such acts,” Guterres said.

Respect for human rights, he said, is just a game of words if there is no respect for people.

Meanwhile, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR) called for an independent and thorough review of all charges against Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa and other media professionals in the Philippines.

Rupert Colville, spokesman for UNCHR chief Michelle Bachelet, urged the Philippine judiciary to “safeguard their own independence by throwing out cases that are clearly politically motivated or are not in line with international human rights standards, including freedom of opinion and expression.”