UN issues plea to protect journalists in war zones

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 23 (Reuters) The UN Security Council unanimously adopted today a resolution urging all armies and insurgent groups to protect journalists working in war zones.

The council acted days after the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists reported that 32 journalists had been killed this year in Iraq, most of them by insurgents.

Around the world, 55 journalists were killed as a direct result of their work in 2006, up from 47 in 2005, the group said, adding it was still trying to determine if another 27 media deaths this year were work-related.

Approval of the resolution, a project initiated by Greece with support from France, ''sends a clear and unambiguous message to all parties in armed conflict that journalists and media personnel must be afforded the protection accruing to them under applicable international law and international humanitarian law,'' Greek U.N. Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis said.

The measure condemned all attacks targeting journalists, media professionals and associated personnel covering armed conflicts or otherwise caught up in war.

It urged governments ''and all other parties to an armed conflict'' to do their utmost to prevent crimes against journalists, investigate any crimes that occur and bring the perpetrators to justice.

It also specified that media equipment and installations are civilian rather than military facilities ''and in this respect shall not be the object of attack or of reprisals, unless they are military objectives.'' At the same time it condemned media incitement to violence against civilians, such as the ''hate radio'' broadcasts that occurred during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and more recently in Ivory Coast.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said Iraq in 2006 was the deadliest place for journalists for the fourth year in a row. Ninety-two reporters have been killed in the country since the US-led invasion in March 2003.

Afghanistan and the Philippines were the next most dangerous datelines this year, with three journalists killed in each of those countries. Two reporters were killed in each of Russia, Mexico, Pakistan and Colombia.

REUTERS MQA RN0106