United Nations Radio

The Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, has said that failure by governments to bring to justice those who kill journalists is far reaching.

Launching the CPJ's Impunity Index, which ranks 13 countries that fail to prosecute killers of journalists, Joel Simmon said countries in which journalists are killed with impunity cannot claim to have full press freedom.

He identified the top three of the 13 countries as Iraq, Sierra Leone and Somalia all of which have experienced terrible conflict and a collapse of the rule of law.

However, Mr. Simmon said it is shocking that nine of the 13 countries on the list are either fledgling or established democracies.

"In these countries what's lacking is political will in many instances. It's a failure on the part of the governments to fully engage on this issue and to devote the resources necessary, and the political will necessary to bring the killers of journalists to justice."

Mr. Simmon expressed the hope that these countries would somehow embarrassed to be in the company of countries that are wrecked by war and violence.

Diane Bailey, United Nations Radio.

(duration: 1'13")