The Nairobi Declaration is welcome relief for Journalists and media
Nov 21, 2017
This calls for all forms of intervention in order to address the increasing threats to journalists.
By Tonny Raymond Kirabira
Between 2012 and 2016, a total of 530 journalists were killed, an average of two deaths per week, according to a global report released this month on world trends in freedom of expression and media development by UNESCO.
This calls for all forms of intervention in order to address the increasing threats to journalists.
The Nairobi Declaration on national mechanisms for safety of journalists was adopted recently at the conclusion of the first Eastern Africa Conference that brought together governments, media associations and houses, the UN, civil society, human rights defenders, intergovernmental organisations, journalism training institutions, regulatory bodies and other bilateral media development partners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The conference was within the framework of marking the November 2, international day to end impunity for crimes against journalists, a day declared by the UN in 2013.
Several regional and international legal instruments provide for the protection of the media. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights constitutes the foundation of respect for and protection of all persons: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. This includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers".
It is apparent in Uganda and other eastern African countries that journalists continue to face both physical and verbal attacks which limit their ability to report news and information to the public.
The practice of journalism involves risky adventures as some people would wish to kill the flow of information. In Uganda, lately, there is a disturbing rise in summoning and threatening of journalists by the Police and other security agencies. Some are summoned under ambiguous criminal offences under the Computer Misuse Act and criminal libel under the Penal Code.
Such actions do not only endanger journalists, but also affect sources of information who are scared of being arrested.
The influence of internet platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook has also drawn the attention of unfair regulation, shutting down of some blogs and arrest of journalists.
The Nairobi Declaration seeks to promote a multi-stakeholder approach in strengthening the safety of journalists where eastern African countries shall establish national mechanisms for their safety. The declaration also makes reference to ongoing initiatives in the region such as the Kenya Media Council Protocol on safety of journalists.
In Uganda, the Media Council, which is the body established under the law to regulate journalists and handle disputes, has remained largely on paper due to lack of funding.
Establishment of comprehensive national safety of journalists' mechanisms will address issues of safety.
The stakeholders are also required under the Nairobi Declaration to create systems of knowledge that can inform systems for prevention, protection and prosecution of perpetrators. This is what is known as the three Ps: Prevent violence against journalists, protect journalists in danger and prosecute the perpetrators.
Countries, including Uganda, are also expected to demonstrate progress in ensuring public access to information and protecting fundamental freedoms, which include the right to freedom of expression and safety of journalists.
At the same time, there is also much to be done globally to improve awareness of such laws and their implementation.
In terms of access to information, Uganda has a very good law that allows journalists and other members of the public to freely access information in the hands of public bodies.
By the time the 2015 UNESCO General Conference proclaimed September 28 as the International Day for Universal Access to Information, Uganda had already passed its Access to Information Act in 2005.
The media stakeholders in Uganda should therefore invest in educating journalists about these provisions and rights in order to further reduce threats on account of ignorance.
Media owners should also train journalists on the latest developments towards innovation and contemporary challenges such as safety of journalists' on social media.
Another notable development from the Nairobi Declaration is the Eastern Africa stakeholders Committee for Safety of Journalists committee which will among other things coordinate, mobilise resources, support and monitor the progress of these National Safety Mechanisms.
Nonetheless, states take responsibility for the protection of journalists and prosecuting in the courts of law people that violate their freedom.
The writer is a media and human rights lawyer