IAP forum discusses how to best protect journalists

Diplomacy

Published: 27 Mar. 2022, 18:10

IAP forum discusses how to best protect journalists

Unesco and the International Association of Prosecutors, in partnership with the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, hold an international training course for prosecutors from Feb. 14 to 18 in Siracusa, Italy, on investigating and prosecuting crimes against journalists. [INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROSECUTORS]

More than 1,200 journalists worldwide have been killed in the past decade, an average of one every four days, said the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) in a recent forum it hosted with Unesco and dozens of prosecutors.

“In particular, as nine out of ten murder crimes against journalists were reported to be closed without any judicial action, international criticism soared,” said the IAP in a statement it released after hosting a training program for prosecutors worldwide from Feb. 14 to 18 in Siracusa, Italy, with Unesco and the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights.

A total of 22 prosecutors and representatives of prosecution services from 12 countries, including those in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Latin America, joined the program, where they discussed international and regional standards on freedom of expression and how best to investigate and prosecute crimes and attacks against journalists.

“Now with this training I can see how the legal enforcement comes in and how they need to rely on, and be aware of, the international instruments, the law code, domestic instruments, case studies,” said Mary Mwenje, deputy head of the Prosecution Training Institute of Kenya, according to Unesco.

IPA President Hwang Cheol-Kyu stressed in his opening address at the training forum that the nature of crimes against journalists “necessitates higher expertise in performing prosecutors’ duties such as investigation, indictment and maintenance of prosecution till the end of trials.”

“Cooperation between countries against transnational crimes is also an indispensable factor in determining the success or failure of relevant investigation and prosecution,” he said, according to Unesco.

This training for prosecutors was organized within the framework of the Unesco Judges’ Initiative which, since 2013 has trained over 23,000 judges, prosecutors and lawyers in over 150 countries.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]