Interview with Ernest Sagaga, Head of Human Rights and Safety, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
UNESCO: Could you present yourself and introduce how you became committed to promoting media freedom?
Ernest Sagaga: “I joined the IFJ, the World's largest organisation of journalists, at the end of 2008 as a Communications and Human Rights Officer, before taking up my current position in 2013. As part of my work, I coordinate the IFJ's annual report on journalists and media staff killed in attempts to suppress independent reporting and deny citizens their right to accurate and independent information on matters of public interest. The harrowing stories of these killings year in and year out across the world have been appalling but also hardened my strong belief in the IFJ's motto that ‘there can be no press freedom when journalists live in fear’.”
UNESCO: What is the mission of the organization you are working for?
ES: “The IFJ has two important missions. One is promoting decent working conditions for journalists and media professionals. The other, crucially, is promoting their professional editorial independence, free from any interference whether political, commercial or of any intimidation nature. The latter is increasingly under threat of all kinds of violence from both state and non-state actors.”
UNESCO: What will you do thanks to the grant by the Global Media Defence Fund?
ES: “The IFJ intends, thanks to the grant, to set up support networks for journalists and media professionals in some of the most dangerous countries for the practice of journalism. This support will take the form of creating a pool of lawyers who will act as legal counsels to journalists, providing them with training in specific legal skills in media and human rights law. It will also provide resources to journalists and their organisations to monitor incidents of violence and take timely action to ensure accountability and thereby contribute as a deterrence against future attacks.
The support networks will thus further contribute to our campaign against impunity for crime on journalists by ensuring journalists will receive legal representation when they have to defend themselves in cases brought against them. But they will also be able to petition national and regional jurisdictions over governments' failure to investigate crime targeting journalists and other media professionals.”
UNESCO: What will be the impact of this action?
ES: “It is often said that safety is in numbers and this a truism. The issue of press freedom, in particular media safety, should not be left to journalists and their organisations alone.
This grant will enable us to broaden the coalition of the like-minded individuals and organisations in the focus countries we are suggesting. We estimate that hundreds of journalists will benefit from legal representation in the five countries we consider for activities under this grant. As a result, the most likely impact would be higher levels in accountability by governments about their obligations to protect journalists and media professionals, thus contributing to greater press freedom.”
UNESCO: Any suggestions/recommendations you would like to make to UNESCO as administrator of this Fund and to its donors?
ES: “UNESCO should be commended for its initiatives over the years, including the UN Action Plan on the Issue of Impunity and the Safety of Journalists, which have put press freedom on the top of international agenda.
This grant is another step by UNESCO and its donors to implement the UN Action Plan at the national level and thus make its intended objectives a reality for journalists. We appreciate the financial limitations, but we would recommend more resources could be considered for this project which could then be expanded to reach out to more journalists in more countries.”
Interview series: Stories of media defence put into action
