Special Event by Committee to Protect Journalists

Side Event on Press Behind Bars: Undermining Justice and Democracy featuring Joel Simon, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Amal Clooney, Barrister, and Steven J. Adler, President and Editor-in-Chief of Reuters.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Side Events
• Video Length: 01:27:03
• Production Date: 28 September 2018
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: AMAL CLOONEY
• Subject Topical: DEMOCRACY; DETAINED PERSONS; JOURNALISM; JUSTICE; PRESS FREEDOM
• Geographic Subject: MYANMAR
• MAMS Id: 2249116
• Parent Id: 2248523

Description

Journalists are being imprisoned at record numbers around the world. They are regularly threatened, attacked and killed, which undermines not only their own fundamental human rights, but also the public’s right to receive and impart information. The past two years have seen record journalists imprisoned for their work, most on anti-state charges related to terrorism or official secrets, but also an increasing number on charges of spreading false news. Yet there has been little pushback and few countries have been held to account for their repressive and regressive practices. Countries undergoing ostensible transitions to democracy are chief among these.

The Committee to Protect Journalists proposed a side event to be held during UNGA high level week that would highlight global press freedom challenges, with an emphasis on Myanmar and other countries where journalists are imprisoned for their work, denied due process during trial, and where international attention could have an impact.