The UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize this year went to the Palestinian journalists covering the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. The head of the international jury for media professionals said that the award represents a strong message of solidarity with Palestinian journalists who cover events in such tragic circumstances. The Secretary-General said: The International Federation of Journalists said that journalists in Gaza “suffer from hunger and displacement, and are at risk of death, and UNESCO’s recognition of their suffering constitutes a great encouragement that they well deserve.” In his speech on the occasion of receiving the award, the head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate expressed his feeling of joy and pride mixed with sadness over the loss of the martyrs of the Palestinian press. He also expressed his determination to hold accountable and prosecute those who killed this group that revealed to the world the truth about what was committed against the Palestinian people. Thus, he refers to the pivotal role that journalists generally play in revealing the facts to global public opinion and international human rights organizations, enabling accountability. According to figures from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, 135 Palestinian journalists were victims of combat operations in Gaza, while the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York documented 97 journalists who were victims of the war, including 92 Palestinians, which represents the highest number of deaths recorded by the Committee since 2015. The Committee had mentioned in December 2023 The number of journalists killed in the first three months of the Gaza war exceeds the number of journalists killed in any single country over an entire year.
In the broader context of the plight of Palestinian journalists, the Director-General of UNESCO pointed out the significance of the award, which is to praise the courage of journalists who face difficult and dangerous circumstances. UNESCO indicated in its recently issued new report entitled “Journalism and the Planet in Danger” that it conducted a survey that included 905 journalists last March, and the report stated that more than 70% of those surveyed reported being subjected to attacks, threats, or pressure because of their investigations. Of these, 2 out of 5 said they had been exposed to some type of physical violence.
For its part, Reporters Without Borders highlighted the increasing political pressure on the press in the world, which is a worrying fact because the role of the press in revealing facts does not stop at the borders of armed conflicts, but rather extends to pivotal internal issues related to the integrity of elections and the fight against corruption. Who among us can forget the role that the press played in uncovering the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, when it forced US President Richard Nixon to resign, and it was a sign of the vital role that the press can play in protecting democracy if it is surrounded by adequate guarantees.
The picture then appears as bleak as before, not only in Gaza, but in many places in the world, even if the situation in Gaza is, of course, unprecedented. Hence, honoring brave journalists is not enough alone, but rather it is time to work seriously towards providing the greatest amount of protection. Guarantees of physical and legal protection for journalists on the one hand, and strengthening the legal system to hold accountable for crimes committed against them on the other hand… This is not an easy task, given the serious challenges and difficulties that stand in the way of international justice organizations, most notably the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. We follow the current confrontation. But these challenges and difficulties should not deter us from embarking on a journey of a thousand miles.
*Professor of Political Science – Cairo University
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