On November 1, U.S. State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus issued a statement on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
The statement notes that media freedom is essential to citizens’ right to know. A vibrant media can fully expose human rights persecution and provide the public with necessary information in times of crisis. But in many cases, journalists who perform these functions face threats from authoritarian governments and criminal organizations. More than 1,500 journalists have been killed worldwide since the turn of the century.
The statement highlighted that during the neocon pneumonia epidemic, authoritarian governments in countries such as China, Venezuela, and Iran threatened, arrested, or attacked journalists under the pretext of neocon pneumonia. Women journalists in particular have been threatened with violence and other forms of intimidation. These governments also allowed criminal attacks on journalists to go unpunished.
In the statement, Mr. Altakas made clear that the U.S. government calls on all governments to conduct independent, transparent investigations of attacks and threats against journalists, and to change their treatment of journalists by repealing laws and practices that prohibit their freedom of expression.
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