KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation (MAPIM) has urged all international organisations and governments to strengthen protections for journalists, as they carry out their critical role in sustaining democratic societies.
Its president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said the journalists in war zones must be treated as civilians and protected as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Article 19 and the Geneva Conventions’ Article 79 of Additional Protocol I.
‘As of May 1, the world has seen sobering statistics on the grave realities faced by those brave enough to seek the truth with 97 journalists and media workers confirmed dead, 16 journalists reported to be injured, four others reported missing and another 25 journalists were arrested by the Israel Defence Force.
‘MAPIM mourns these brave souls and stands resolutely with journalists around the world, who often pay the ultimate price in their quest to illuminate the darkest corners of our reality. We must not let their
sacrifices be in vain,’ he said in a statement in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day.
Mohd Azmi said with hundreds of journalists targeted and many meeting violent ends, MAPIM called for rigorous international efforts to bring their attackers to justice including the tragic death of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11, 2022, while covering a raid in the Jenin refugee camp.
He said the council demanded rigorous international efforts to bring the perpetrators of violence against journalists to justice because inaction and silence in those cases are indeed forms of complicity.
It also implored media outlets across the globe to resist the allure of sensationalism and the shackles of powerful interests as well as committed to unbiased, fearless journalism that honours those who have fallen in its defence.
‘The duty of a journalist is sacred, they are the guardians of truth in a world rife with deception. Let this World Press Freedom Day not just be a reminder of the freedoms we ch
erish, but also a clarion call to defend those freedoms at all costs.
‘Let it be said that when the press was threatened, the world united to shield it from harm and to champion the cause of justice and truth. For every truth untold, for every voice silenced, let us be the bearers of truth and the defenders of the free truthful press,’ he said.
World Press Freedom Day is observed annually on May 3 to raise awareness of the importance of press freedom and to remind governments of their duty to uphold and respect the right to freedom of expression.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency