No one has been found

The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was declared by the UN to recognise the violence against journalists and media workers who are targeted for exercising their right of freedom of expression, and to provide a platform to collectively challenge the existing culture of impunity. Unesco's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) has prepared a guideline to ensure the safety of journalists.

According to the UN and other international media related organisations, the number of journalist deaths is increasing worldwide, particularly in some parts of the Middle East. Within Asia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have had high rates of journalist deaths for a long time. Over the last two decades, at least two dozen journalists have been killed for their professions, but no justice has been meted out. Of the 24 cases, only the case of Samakal correspondent in Faridpur, Goutam Das, has been resolved in the lower court, although it is still pending in the higher court.

The police has given a report in the Harunur Rashid murder case in Khulna, but we can hardly call that justice. We journalists and media activists have consistently maintained that it's not enough for the police to give a report that states "no one has been found" when there is a family that is still mourning his death. To say that nobody could be found is a failure of the state and proves that there is a culture of impunity.

There was a debate when the day was first proposed on whether a UN day was enough to eliminate this culture of impunity. But the argument we gave was that different incidents take place in different parts of the world, and although there are various organisations that work on this issue of violence against journalists, it is important to have a day where we can collectively raise our voices to demand justice. In addition, national and international organisations can put the issue at the forefront of their programmes. When a culture of impunity is established, justice cannot be served. We need to give a strong message to the regimes of different countries of the world that the culture of impunity must end.

Thus, by introducing the day the unity of voice has only been strengthened.

Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul is CEO of Boishakhi Television and president of the Bangladesh Federation Union of Journalists.