De Lima addresses UN meeting on media killings

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. Facebook photo

MANILA — Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima shared on Wednesday with the international community the Philippine government’s approach in addressing extra-judicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances as well as the importance of protecting journalists.

Speaking at a United Nations (UN) meeting in France, De Lima cited the importance of protecting journalists “as a clear juncture in eradicating the culture of impunity in the country.”

The event was held a few days after the UN’s inaugural commemoration of the “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.”

De Lima said that in the Philippines, a composite team composed of members from various government agencies have been tasked to investigate all cases of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other human rights violations.

The team, De Lima said, is focused on case build-up and speedy resolution for all unsolved and new cases.

“This means a more pre-positioned personnel to respond quickly to these cases,” she told the UN Inter-Agency Meeting on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity held at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

De Lima also vowed to foster synergies and to continue collaboration with security forces, the academe and non-governmental organizations “to establish a standing effort that will harness the tools to ensure the safety of journalists and to effectively bring those responsible for the killings of journalists to justice, through a more human rights-based, context-sensitive and multi-disciplinary approach.”

Among those present during the meeting were officials from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Council of Europe and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).