Credit: Gary Raynaldo /  Photo of work at exhibit at UN world headquarters in New York marking International  Day to commemorate the murder of two French journalists who were abducted and killed in Mali after they interviewed a local political leader. Work by Wozniak, Polish artist who collaborates with the “Canard Enchaîné.

DIPLOMATIC  TIMES  STAFF

UNITED NATIONS  –   NEW  YORK  –  The United Nations General Assembly observed  2 November as the International Day in order to call attention to the more than 800 journalists around the world who have been killed over the past 10 years and the impunity that has led to a rate of less than one in 10 convictions.

“When journalists are targeted, societies as a whole pay a price. Without the ability to protect journalists, our ability to remain informed and contribute to decision-making is severely hampered. Without journalists able to do their jobs in safety, we face the prospect of a world of confusion and disinformation.”

— UN Secretary-General António Guterres

In the past twelve years more than 1,000 journalists have been killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public. In nine out of ten cases the killers go unpunished.

The International Day was designated in 2013 to commemorate the murder of two French journalists who were abducted and killed in Mali after they interviewed a local political leader. This year, the UN hosted a panel discussion on 27 October that included experts and journalists who seek to put an end to this trend, one that saw last year as the second deadliest in the past decade. In 2015,  115 journalists were murdered, including in the unprecedented Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris that targeted and killed 10 media workers.

As part of the observation, an exhibit was displayed to call attention to the more than 800 journalists around the world who have been killed over the past 10 years.  The drawings have been created by different press cartoonists to honour the memory of Ghislaine Dupont  and Claude Verlon, who were murdered  in Mali on 2 November 2013 while reporting for Radio France International (RFI)

“Dessiner Pour Ne Pas Tirer Un Trait    /   Draw So As Not To Write Them Off”