World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3, is a day to honour the integrity of press freedom and a reminder for people of their freedom of opinion.
It was in December 1993 that the UN General Assembly under the recommendation of the UNESCO general conference revealed May 3 as an observatory date for World press freedom. The proclamation was an aftermath of the seminar produced at UNESCO titled “Declaration of Windhoek” which was held in Windhoek, Namibia. The event was rather historic as it claimed that “A free press is essential for democracy as well as economic development”.
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2024, here is a look at some brave journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Guillermo Cano Isaza
· He was a Columbian journalist who worked for El Espectador. He was shot dead by two hitmen while driving. Reports suggest that the attack was planned, as an aftermath of the campaign that was launched against Colombia’s drug barons.
· His legacy was later recorded by UNESCO in 1997, after the press freedom prize was named as “Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize”, to celebrate his contribution.
Daniel Pearl
· His death created ripples of shockwaves across several countries.
· He was an American journalist who worked with The Wall Street Journal.
· He was kidnapped by Islamic militants, while he went for an interview of Richard Ried also known as the ‘shoe bomber’ at Karachi.
· The captors who called themselves ‘National movement for the restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty’ demanded an urgent release of all terrorist attackers under US custody for Pearl’s freeing.
· After weeks of being held hostage, footage was released by the captors of him being beheaded and mutilated.
Marie Colvin
· She worked with the British newspaper ‘The Sunday Times’ as a foreign affairs correspondent.
· She was known for her bravery and was one of the leading war correspondents.
· She sustained a permanent injury in her right eye, after getting injured by the Sri Lankan army rocket-propelled grenade in 2001.
· She died from direct shelling during the Syrian civil war, accompanied by a French photojournalist Remi Ochlik.
Daphne Caruana Galizia
· She was an investigative journalist who worked closely on the analysis of the ‘Panama Papers’.
· She was a harsh critic on the matters of politics and corruption, and her blog ‘Running Commentary’ reflects the same.
· She was killed in a car bomb in October 2017.
James Wright Foley
· In November 2012, he was abducted by ISIS terrorist group, while working on the Syrian civil war.
· He was an American journalist and a freelance war correspondent.
· After two years of his kidnapping, he was beheaded on August 19, 2014.
· Former President Barack Obama reacted to the atrocity by saying, “The entire world is appalled”.
Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya
· She was an American Russian journalist and human rights activist.
· She was assassinated on 7 October 2006. She was shot dead inside an elevator.
