Senior Officials Across World Mark Crucial Role Of Free Media On Int'l Press Freedom Day

Senior officials across the world highlighted the importance of fighting for and ensuring free media on World Press Freedom Day this Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd May, 2021) Senior officials across the world highlighted the importance of fighting for and ensuring free media on World Press Freedom Day this Monday.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas noted the crucial role of the free and independent press as a basis for democracies to function.

"Standing up and fighting for a free press is a task for each and every one of us. People need free and independent information - without it, democracies cannot function," Maas was quoted as saying on the German Foreign Office's Twitter.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken turned to social networks to reiterate Washington's commitment to advocate for the safety of journalists worldwide.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also expressed his country's readiness to "do its part in promoting safety of journalists, freedom of expression, media freedom and the right to verified information."

"On World Press Freedom Day, the United States continues to advocate for press freedom, the safety of journalists worldwide, and access to information on and offline.

A free and independent press ensures the public has access to information. Knowledge is power," he wrote on Twitter.

The Belgian foreign ministry, in turn, recalled the main threats to press freedom, noting that gender-based violence targeting women journalists is particularly concerning.

"On #WorldPressFreedomDay we celebrate the crucial role a free media plays in defending our democracies. While the pandemic has increased the challenges, the UK will always work to #DefendMediaFreedom," UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab wrote on Twitter.

A record number of journalists � at least 274 � were imprisoned in the course of performing their duty in 2020 because of the restrictions on news coverage about civil unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Committee to Protect Journalists.

According to the UNESCO Observatory, over the past year, 76 journalists have been killed, while many more were arrested, harassed or threatened worldwide.