OSCE countries urged to break cycle of impunity

OSCE countries urged to break cycle of impunity

"Attacks against journalists must be investigated quickly and thoroughly; there can be no exception to this basic rule. The notion of impunity contributes to an atmosphere of intimidation throughout the OSCE region," Mijatović said in a statement.

In December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution on journalist safety and proclaimed 2 November as the International Day to End Impunity. It was the first time the General Assembly adopted a resolution directly addressing journalists’ safety and the issue of impunity.

“This date serves as an important reminder of the collaborative effort necessary to bring issues of criminal impunity to light,”Mijatović said. “Attacks on members of the media occur on a daily basis and many of the perpetrators and masterminds behind these attacks are never brought to justice.”

The list of killed journalists in the OSCE region whose murderers still are at large also serves as a grim reminder of impunity for these horrid crimes.

The list includes, among others, Slavko Ćuruvija (1999), Georgy Gongadze (2000), Martin O’Hagan (2001), Milan Pantic (2001), Veronika Cherkasova (2004), Dusko Jovanovic (2004), Paul Klebnikov (2004), Elmar Huseynov (2005), Anna Politkovskaya (2006), Alisher Saipov (2007), Hrant Dink (2007), Natalya Estemirova (2009), Khadzhimurad Kamalov (2011), and Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev (2013).

“Despite repeated assurances at the highest level from OSCE participating States, many cases of attacks on journalists remain unsolved. The political will to confront the issue of impunity is simply too low, and in some cases non-existent. Stern rhetoric is not enough, concrete action is necessary to break the cycle of impunity," Mijatović said.

In 2013, the representative launched a global campaign to end impunity with the Commission for the Investigation of Murders of Journalists in Serbia, the OSCE said on its website.