UN calls on Libyan authorities to protect journalists

05 Mai 2020

Tripoli, Libya, May 5  (Infosplusgabon) - The Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Libya, Stephanie Williams, on Sunday urged the Libyan authorities and all parties to the bloody conflict in the North African country to protect journalists and media professionals.

She said this will guarantee the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to seek, receive and communicate information to the public.

In a statement issued by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on World Press Freedom Day, Mrs. Williams said that journalists are the voice of the voiceless stressing that they should not be silenced. "The truth must not become another victim of the ongoing war," she said.

She stressed that an independent media, free from intimidation and threats, is essential to lay the foundations for democracy, and paid tribute to the courageous journalists and media workers in Libya who, despite increasing intimidation and violence, continue to carry out their duties in extremely difficult circumstances.

The UN official recalled that for too long, Libyan journalists and media professionals have sacrificed their lives in the performance of their duties, seeking to report information and share it with the public.

According to her, "a free press is crucial to provide facts, information and analysis, hold leaders accountable and tell the truth to the authorities".

This is especially true in times of conflict or crisis, as Libyans are now threatened by both the one-year conflict in the Tripoli War and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Libya has so far recorded 63 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection with 22 recoveries and 3 deaths.

The Acting UN Secretary-General Representative stressed that the day was also an opportunity to be concerned about the dramatic increase, both online and offline, of misinformation, incitement to violence and hate speech, including threats against media professionals, that have occurred over the past year.

"This has fuelled a climate of mistrust, fear and violence between different groups, contributed to the deepening of pre-existing divisions in Libya and further weakened an already fragile social fabric."

Libya was ranked 164th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Sans Frontières 2020 Press Freedom Index, losing 2 places from last year when it placed 162nd.

"Journalists and media professionals have a responsibility to respect professional and ethical principles, including those of transparency and impartiality," Mrs. Williams said, adding that she "would like to renew her appeal to journalists and media professionals to join forces in the fight against misinformation, hate speech and incitement".

Since 1 May 2019, UNSMIL has documented at least nine cases in eastern and western Libya in which journalists and bloggers have been subjected to abductions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and, all too often, torture.

"Journalists and media professionals are also frequently subjected to intimidation, harassment and death threats," the UN Mission said.

It added that among the many reported cases, UNSMIL was able to document the case of two journalists shot dead in southern Tripoli in October 2019.

In January 2020, two radio stations were attacked and set on fire in Sirte. More recently, on 3 April 2020, the director of Garabolli radio in the south of Tripoli disappeared on his way to al-Gweia at the east of Tripoli. His fate and location remain unknown.

Citing the Annual Report of the Defender Centre for Human Rights, issued in February 2020, UNSMIL said that the escalation of violence against journalists in Libya led to the departure of more than 83 Libyan journalists from the country between 2015 and 2018.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/VVG/GABON2020

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