Context: Recently, the International Press Institute (IPI) revealed that the impunity with which crimes against journalists are committed continued to rise as governments had failed to probe the cases.
About International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

• This comes ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists which is celebrated globally on November 2 every year.
• The day aims to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference.
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution in 2013 which proclaimed 2 November as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
• The date was chosen in remembrance of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
• This breakthrough resolution condemns all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers.

Key Points mentioned

• Crimes against the Journalists- Approximately, 52 journalists, including two in India, had died due to their work since October 2019, of which 24 were murdered in targeted attacks.
• Society pays the price- The UN warned that when journalists are targeted, societies as a whole pay a price.
• Without the ability to protect journalists, our ability to remain informed and contribute to decision-making, is severely hampered
• Possible solution to prevent crimes against journalists- Besides punishing perpetrators, it is essential to address the root causes of violence against journalists and of impunity.
• Journalists are mostly targetted for reporting on politics, corruption and crime, therefore, we need to deal with these issues to protect journalists from violence.

About International Press Institute

• The Vienna-based IPI is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices.
• Formation- Founded in October 1950 and has members in over 120 countries.
• The original Secretariat was set up in 1951 in Zürich (Switzerland), which was shifted to London in 1976 and then to Vienna in 1992.
• IPI enjoys consultative status with the UN, UNESCO and the Council of Europe.
• The year 2020 marks its 70th anniversary.

Objectives

• To promote conditions that allow journalism to fulfil its public function, the most important of which is the media’s ability to operate free from interference and without fear of retaliation.
• To defend media freedom and the free flow of news wherever they are threatened.