12/26/06

U.N. Security Council condemns attacks on journalists in armed conflicts

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council on Dec. 24 condemned attacks on journalists during armed conflicts and urged combatants to stop singling out members of the media and respect their professional independence.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the council, was the first time that the United Nations' most powerful body dealt specifically with journalists covering wars.

Greek Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis said the resolution, sponsored by his country and France, "sends a clear and unambiguous message to all parties in armed conflict that journalists and media personnel must be afforded the protection accruing to them under applicable international law and international humanitarian law."

The resolution stresses that journalists and other media professionals working in areas of armed conflict are civilians and must be protected as such, "provided that they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians."

It expresses deep concern "at the frequency of acts of violence in many parts of the world against journalists," and in particular "condemns intentional attacks" on them.

The council said the deliberate targeting of civilians, including journalists, "may constitute a threat to international peace and security." It emphasized that humanitarian law considers intentional attacks on civilians during armed conflicts to be war crimes.

The resolution also "urges all parties involved in situations of armed conflict to respect the professional independence and rights of journalists, media professionals and associated personnel as civilians."

French Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said earlier this month when the resolution was first circulated that there is increasing concern about the dangers facing journalists in war zones, noting that 75 have been killed so far this year in Iraq and other conflicts.

U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland, who has since stepped down, said at the time that "members of the media, acting as the world's witnesses to atrocities and humanitarian needs, alerting all of us to our responsibilities, have ... been increasingly subject to attack."

To ensure that the Security Council regularly looks at the issue, the resolution asks the U.N. secretary-general to address the safety of journalists in his regular reports on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.

The council dropped a provision in the original text that would have asked the secretary-general to also look at the protection of journalists in reports on specific countries.