Doha conference demands accountability for attacks on journalists

Doha, Qatar: A major international conference, opened in Doha yesterday, called for stronger global action to ensure accountability and end impunity f...

Doha, Qatar: A major international conference, opened in Doha yesterday, called for stronger global action to ensure accountability and end impunity for crimes committed against journalists, particularly in conflict zones.

The two-day International Conference on the Protection of Journalists in Armed Conflict Zones is jointly organised by the National Human Rights Committee, Al Jazeera Center for Public Liberties and Human Rights at the Al Jazeera Media Network, in collaboration with Unesco and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The conference brings together international officials, legal experts, journalists, and human rights defenders to explore ways to strengthen protections for journalists covering wars and conflicts and to tackle the persistent problem of impunity for those who attack or kill them.

In her opening address, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah, emphasised that mere condemnation of attacks on journalists is no longer enough.

“It is unacceptable to simply denounce these crimes,” she said. “The alarming scale of grave violations committed against journalists shows the urgent need for broad action involving governments, national human rights institutions, stakeholders, and UN bodies. We must strengthen legal frameworks and reform protection mechanisms to ensure accountability and end impunity.”