51. The murder of journalists (Mexico City- The Hague, 2021-2022)

The killing of journalists poses one of the most serious threats to press freedom and the right to information — two fundamental pillars of any democratic society. In many parts of the world, journalists and media workers are targeted simply for doing their job, whether that involves documenting armed conflicts, exposing corruption, investigating organised crime, or giving a voice to victims of human rights violations. What makes this phenomenon particularly alarming is the high level of impunity that accompanies it. In most cases, those who order and carry out the killings remain unidentified and unpunished, fuelling a climate of fear, self-censorship and distrust of institutions. Notable cases include the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul and the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow in 2006 for her efforts to expose human rights violations in Chechnya. Even the international notoriety of these victims is not enough to guarantee truth and full justice.

On these premises, on 19 September, in Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague, the panel of judges of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) delivered its Judgment following a process of public hearings inaugurated in November 2021 at the request of Safer World for Truth Coalition – composed by Free Press Unlimited, Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, and supported by the Syrian Centre for Press and Freedom of Expression and the Centre for Justice and Accountability – that were articulated in three different thematic hearings each dedicated one of the exemplary cases for the murder of journalists: from Mexico, Miguel Angel López Velasco, from Sri Lanka, Lasantha Wickrematunge, and from Syria, Nabil Walid Al-Sharbaji. Based on the extensive and rigorous documentation and the witness statements publicly submitted, the PPT Panel of Judges unanimously pronounced a condemnatory judgment against the States of Mexico, Sri Lanka, and Syria for being guilty, through their actions and omissions (lack of due investigation, lack of reparation measures for the victims, complete impunity), of all the human rights violations denounced in the indictment. The seriousness of the responsibility is further underlined as the three states are signatories to the multilateral treaty obliging them to respect the fundamental civil and political rights of all citizens, which include the right to life, freedom of religion, speech, assembly, electoral rights, and the right to due process.

The Tribunal believes that combatting impunity for crimes against journalists is an essential responsibility of the international community and individual States. Ensuring that media professionals are protected through independent investigations, fair trials and effective safeguards means defending not only the right to freedom of expression, but also democracy, the rule of law, and citizens’ right to access free, pluralistic and independent information.

Requesting organisations:

1. Safer World for Truth Coalition – composed by Free Press Unlimited, Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders
2. Syrian Centre for Press and Freedom of Expression
3. Centre for Justice and Accountability.