IFJ presses UN for action on media killings

AT NEW YEAR the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urged United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to take drastic action against governments of the most dangerous countries for media - after it published its annual list of journalists and media personnel killed in 2011. The year's toll was 106.

The Federation says 2011 has been another bloody year for media and blames governments' failure to uphold their international obligations for the ongoing violence targeting media. In a letter to the UN Secretary General, the IFJ calls for effective implementation of international legal instruments to combat the prevailing culture of impunity for crimes against journalists.