Paris street named after slain journalist Saleem Shahzad

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 2 November 2015

In a protest for the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, Reporters Without Borders has renamed a street in Paris after Saleem Shahzad. This act aims to draw attention to the violence against journalists and the ongoing lack of accountability.

Summary

In a protest to mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (November 2), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has renamed 12 Parisian streets after journalists who were murdered, tortured or disappeared.

One of the streets was named after Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad who was killed in 2011 after being kidnapped from Islamabad. His body was found in a canal near Mandi Bahauddin. RSF said the renamed streets are those with embassies of countries where journalists have been the victims of unpunished crimes. The embassy addresses have been changed to draw attention to the failure of these countries to take action and to remind them of their obligation to do whatever is needed to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.

RSF is using these 12 emblematic cases to highlight the fact that crimes of violence against journalists usually go unpunished because official investigations are inadequate or non-existent and because governments are apathetic. More than 90 percent of crimes against journalist are never solved.

"The cases of impunity that we are presenting are terrible symbols of passivity or deliberate inaction on the part of certain governments,” Reporters Without Borders Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said. "This International Day is an occasion for paying homage to the victims and for reminding governments of their obligation to protect journalists and to combat impunity. Those who target journalists will one day be held to account for their actions.”

In order to combat impunity, RSF is calling for the appointment of a special representative to the UN secretary-general on the safety of journalists.

KEY POINTS:

• Saleem Shahzad was murdered in 2011 after being kidnapped.
• RSF renamed 12 streets in Paris after journalists killed or disappeared.
• The initiative highlights the failure of governments to protect journalists.
• Over 90% of crimes against journalists remain unsolved.
• RSF calls for a UN representative on journalist safety.