World Press Freedom Day: Growing Threats to Media Freedom

World Press Freedom Day: Growing Threats to Media Freedom
photo: Unesco Montevideo via Flickr, 03-05-2022

03-05-2022

Myrthe Niemeijer

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence 

3 May marks World Press Freedom Day. Highlighting the essential role of journalists and media workers, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of the growing politicisation of their work and threats to their safety. 

This message echoes today’s article by Human Rights Watch on the threats to media freedom in India specifically. Journalists and online critics are reportedly targeted by Indian authorities and are often prosecuted under counterterrorism laws, sedition laws or the Public Safety Act in Kashmir. Further, there has been an increase in threats and harassment of journalists critical of the Indian government by Hindu nationalists. Hence, the safety of such journalists and media workers is increasingly threatened by (arbitrary) arrest, detention and prosecution.  

Particular attention is paid to these important issues today, on World Press Freedom Day. Since its proclamation by the UN General Assembly in 1993, 3 May has been marked as World Press Freedom Day to celebrate the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek. the Declaration highlights the link between freedom of expression and societal, political and economic development. 

Sources and further reading: 

Human Rights Watch News. (2022, 3 May). India: Media Freedom Under Threat. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/05/03/india-media-freedom-under-threat

United Nations Human Rights. (2022, 3 May). Threats to media workers’ freedom ‘growing by the day’, UN chief warns. United Nations News.  https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117362 

United Nations. (n.d.). World Press Freedom Day 3 May. United Nations.  https://www.un.org/en/observances/press-freedom-day