In Geneva, Lithuania took the floor in general debate on thematic reports
On 5 March, the Delegation of Lithuania took the floor at the 43rd Human Rights Council session in general debate on thematic reports.
The Permanent Representative of Lithuania Ambassador Andrius Krivas thanked the UN Secretary General for his recent report on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity and expressed concern about the increasing number of online and offline attacks on journalists and media freedom. Moreover, a matter of great concern is the number of killings and arbitrary detentions of journalists, including the increasing risks of gender-specific harassment. Quoting the UN Secretary-General report, Lithuania highlighted that the widespread impunity for attacks against journalists leads to increasing fear and self-censorship. Lithuania voiced its worries that the same chilling effect is produced by states using legal means or judicial persecution against journalists, such as false accusations of various crimes or classifying journalists as “foreign agents”.
Lithuania placed safety of journalists high on the international human rights agenda and commended the Media Freedom Coalition initiated by the UK and Canada, uniting more than 30 countries, to which it belongs, for advocating for media freedom, safety of journalists and fighting impunity.
The Geneva-based Human Rights Council was established in 2006. Its 47 members are elected from among the UN Member States. Lithuania takes part in the work of the Council as an observer. Lithuania has presented its candidacy to the Human Rights Council for the term 2022-2024.
Photo: UN Photos
