Cyprus has called for a stronger legal framework, the promotion of digital literacy and international cooperation to protect journalists worldwide, the island’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Maria Michail, said on Monday.
The appeal was made during a UN event marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, organised under the auspices of the Group of Friends for the Protection of Journalists, co-chaired by Greece, France and Lithuania. The meeting focused on the rising threats to journalists’ safety and the persistently high levels of impunity for crimes against media professionals.
Ambassador Michail said the international community was “failing to support journalists” and stressed that it was time to “turn words into action”. She called for robust legal protection, the promotion of media and digital education, and closer international coordination to ensure accountability for violence against journalists.
Opening the event, Greece’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Aglaia Balta, recalled that the Day was established in 2013 under Resolution 68/163, noting the shared leadership of Greece, France and Lithuania in championing press freedom.
Speakers from France, Lithuania, UNESCO and the EU described a worsening global environment for journalists. UNESCO’s Deputy Director for Communication Tawfik Jelassi said that impunity “sends the message that violence can silence the truth”, highlighting that 2,500 journalists have received protection and training in Ukraine and that 73% of women journalists have faced online harassment.
Melissa Fleming, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, warned that “the dead do not publish” and called today’s era “the deadliest ever recorded for journalists”. She also raised concerns about the growing role of artificial intelligence in misinformation, noting that “45% of AI-generated news summaries contain at least one serious error”.
French Permanent Representative Jérôme Bonnafont emphasised that journalists are being killed “in conflicts, by organised crime and terrorism” and spoke of “new forms of oppression” through technology. “There is no freedom without free and accurate journalism,” he said.
EU Representative Stavros Lambrinidis recalled the killing of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, saying she “knew the risks and took them”. He warned that if AI makes truth indistinguishable from falsehood, “those who suppress may no longer need to kill”.
Participants underlined the need to strengthen prevention, protection and accountability mechanisms, and to modernise legal and institutional tools to address both physical and digital threats. The event reaffirmed the commitment of Greece, France and Lithuania- along with their partners- to defend global press freedom and journalist safety as essential pillars of democracy.
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