TRIPOLI, May 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — The UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame said that Libyan journalists face rising threats and violence in the war-torn nation.
“I am reminded today of the risks Libyan journalists face while doing their job every day. We cannot let the truth become a casualty of the fighting. On this day, let us remember the journalists and media workers who sacrificed their lives over the past years while covering the events in Libya,” Salame said on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day.
“Journalists, like all civilians, must be protected. I remind all parties that the threats and violence against journalists are prohibited under Libyan law as well as International Humanitarian and Human Rights Laws,” Salame added.
Salame also called on Libyan officials and the international community to protect journalists and create proper work conditions.
According to the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), journalists in Libya face “repeated harassment, including refusals to issue or recognize press cards, denials of visas, accusations of spying, discrimination, and threats of death or violence.”
“Tragically, journalists have also been beaten, arrested and detained without charge, kidnapped and killed in the line of duty in Libya,” the Mission said. — NNN-XINHUA
