On the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November 2016, which was approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations at its 68th session in 2013, UNESCO’s Office in Beirut, Maharat Foundation, and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), are pleased to invite you to attend an event in Lebanon entitled: “No to impunity for the crimes committed against journalists in the Arab region.”
The event will be held at 11am on Wednesday, 2 November 2016 at UNESCO’s Regional Office located in Bir Hassan, Beirut opposite Sports City.
The event includes a meeting with media and a photo exhibition organised to mark the Day to End Impunity, in order to shed light on a group of journalists in the Arab region who have been killed or disappeared in the past years in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.
The program starts at 11am and includes the following:
– Statements of the organisers: GCHR, Maharat Foundation, UNESCO Regional Office;
– Presentation about the reality of impunity for crimes against journalists in the Arab region; and
– The opening of the photo exhibition.
This media activity and photo exhibition are aimed at drawing attention to the serious risks faced by journalists as they do their peaceful press work in these four countries and other countries in the Arab region, in addition to raising voices to demand the strengthening of protection and security for journalists, an essential requirement. The activity also aims to renew the call for all concerned institutions to take note that most of the killings and other hazardous violations committed against journalists by government agencies or extremist militias have been carried out by unknown persons. This includes the murders and kidnapping of 12 journalists and human rights defenders, to whom we pay tribute. The event will also urge an immediate and serious investigation in order to find practical and effective mechanisms that decisively end cases of impunity in crimes against journalists in all countries in our region.
On this occasion, the UNESCO Office in Beirut, Maharat Foundation and GCHR express their deep concern that crimes committed against journalists and professionals working in various media outlets in war and conflict zones remain unpunished.
Organisers of the event demand the responsible governments and other relevant agencies to work strenuously in order to be hold accountable those who committed these crimes against journalists and that perpetrators of these violations will not remain unidentified. We also demand all concerned to provide proper protection to journalists in these and other countries so that they can carry out their media work to the fullest extent.
We hope you will join us to participate in this important activity and secure the appropriate media coverage.
For further information, please contact:
George Awad – UNESCO Office in Beirut
Tel:+ 96118500113 /4/5
UNESCO website on the International Day to End Impunity: https://en.unesco.org/day/endimpunity
Roula Mikhael – Maharat Foundation
Tel: +961 03612413
http://www.maharat-news.com
Khalid Ibrahim, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights
Tel: +961 70159552
Khalid@www.gc4hr.org
www.gc4hr.org
