Thirty years ago, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed in 1993, the World Press Freedom Day, which is marked on the third of May every year.
This year, UNESCO is celebrating this day under the theme “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights.” It is worth noting that this day is marked to highlight press freedom worldwide and bring attention to the alarming reality journalists face in conflict areas, prompting crucial questions about the responsibility of various power centres in safeguarding journalists and ensuring press freedom.
Press freedom faces many challenges and hardships, especially for those operating in conflict areas where many journalists are detained or killed. According to “Reporters Without Borders”, for this year, around 548 journalists and 22 media collaborators remain imprisoned in different parts of the world. The 2023 World Press Freedom Index – which evaluates the environment for journalism in 180 countries and territories and is published on World Press Freedom Day, states that the situation is “very serious” in 31 countries, “difficult” in 42, “problematic” in 55, and “good” or “satisfactory” in 52 countries.
In recognition of this day, the Deputy Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Dr. Mohammad bin Saif Al Kuwari affirmed that freedom of expression is one of the most critical indicators of a civilised society and its respect for human rights. He pointed out that the NHRC has undertaken numerous initiatives in its second founding decade to protect journalists and ensure their safety, developing best practices in freedom of expression and countering incitement and hate speech. He mentioned that the NHRC organised the first international conference of its kind in the Middle East on protecting journalists in dangerous situations and the role of the media in raising awareness of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
However, Dr. Al Kuawari warned of the spread of misinformation through online media and elsewhere, which he said greatly affects democratic and human rights institutions and the spread of hate speech in some parts of the world. According to him, the NHRC’s conference on protecting journalists aimed at deepening the dialogue on combating hate speech and intolerance and formulating a comprehensive approach to tackle them.
In his World Press Freedom Day statement, Dr. Al Kuwari called on the international community to work on clear regulations, legislation, and standards to protect the press. He added that there is a need for eradicating digital illiteracy, training civil society actors on social media use, securing legal aid for journalists related to freedom of expression, and strengthening the process of implementing respect for journalists’ rights and ethics.
