The OAS, the Special Rapporteur and UNESCO join forces to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

October 18, 2023

Washington, D.C. – The Organization of the American States, the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are pleased to invite you to participate in the commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI), which will take place on November 2 and 3 at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Within this framework, a series of spaces for reflection will be organized that will bring together relevant actors at the global level, including journalists, members of civil society, rapporteurs and former rapporteurs, specialists, representatives of the United Nations, States and academia, and other people dedicated to the defense and promotion of the right to freedom of expression.

In this edition of IDEI, we will delve into the situation of violence against journalists and other media workers during electoral periods. It will also seek to reaffirm the commitments made by States and the responsibilities of public leaders, political parties and electoral authorities to promote security, both online and offline, and to counter intolerance, discrimination and deliberate disinformation in these contexts.

To access the program, click here.

This space will also be an opportunity to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the OAS and to review its history, main achievements, and pending challenges, considering the fundamental role it plays in the defense and promotion of the right to freedom of expression in the hemisphere.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur calls for honoring the courage and memory of journalists and communication professionals who have been murdered for reasons related to their journalistic work, and to reaffirm the importance and urgency for States and other actors to deploy their maximum efforts to create the necessary conditions for the press to carry out its work freely. independent and secure.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression is an office created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to encourage the hemispheric defense of the right to freedom of thought and expression, considering its fundamental role in the consolidation and development of the democratic system. The IACHR is a principal and autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate derives from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights.

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