Ms Chantal Joris:

I thank the committee for its invitation to discuss the freedom and security of the press operating in areas of conflict. My name is Chantal Joris, and I am a senior legal officer at Article 19, an organisation that analyses the issue of protection for journalists in conflict zones - primarily from a legal and policy perspective.

Whether in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan or one of the many other conflict zones often overlooked by the media, the significance of press coverage in these areas cannot be overstated. By gathering and disseminating reliable and timely information about hostilities, journalists carry out a crucial mission. It is often thanks to them that serious human rights violations and war crimes are brought to light. This work comes at a great cost. Media workers often face extreme danger in areas of conflict. This also applies to citizen journalists, bloggers documenting conflicts through social media and other online channels or human rights defenders more broadly. We see killings, kidnappings and torture. They are also subjected to systematic harassment. Many of these attacks may constitute war crimes. We can talk about legal protections afforded by humanitarian law and human rights law in more detail after the opening statements. The threats extend beyond the physical to the digital realm. Journalists and those uncovering violations by warring parties increasingly face digital threats during armed conflicts, including identity fraud, organised doxing campaigns and targeting via spyware. Responses offered by humanitarian law are perhaps a little less clear in this area.

Journalists' ability to raise awareness about conflict and report on crimes committed by warring parties enables the public and the international community to monitor conflicts and ensure respect for international norms. Attacks on journalists do not only violate their freedom of expression rights, they have profound implications for the public’s ability to stay informed, including in Ireland. Journalists reporting on wars do not merely face the constant threat of physical or digital attacks. Their work is impeded by the rising censorship we are witnessing during armed conflict. Preventing access to conflict zones, Internet shutdowns, bans on domestic and international media and the criminalisation of reporting allegedly "fake news" about armed forces are only some of the trends we are witnessing.

We believe that countries like Ireland should use their influence to encourage all parties armed conflicts to abide by international law. Crucially, this means refraining from targeting journalists, respecting their right to report safely and not engaging in censorious actions. They should also work towards strengthening international institutions that protect human rights and humanitarian law and that can bring accountability and end a long-standing pattern of impunity for all attacks on the press. I again thank members for inviting us to appear here today. I welcome any questions they may have.