By Naomi McAuliffe, Amnesty International’s Scotland Programme Director

PRESS freedom is the cornerstone of a rights respecting society and we must guard it closely. On World Press Freedom Day we remember journalists around the world who are imprisoned, exiled or have been killed for simply doing their job – reporting the news. The recent death of Northern Ireland journalist Lyra McKee hit much closer to home.

Lyra was due to speak at an event this evening – a screening of A Private War, the film biopic of slain journalist Marie Colvin – who was killed in the line of duty in Homs, Syria on February 22, 2012. Marie was the only journalist writing for a British publication embedded in the besieged city at the time and, in one of her last reports before she died, she criticised Bashar al-Assad’s armed forces, saying: “It’s a complete and utter lie they’re only going after terrorists. The Syrian Army is simply shelling a city of cold, starving civilians.”

Amnesty’s Northern Ireland Programme Director Patrick Corrigan knew Lyra McKee: “We are all feeling the pain at the death of Lyra McKee. She was a rising star of journalism in Northern Ireland, dogged in her pursuit of the truth, whether about Troubles-era deaths or the rising trend of youth suicide, and she shared her own story of growing up gay so that others could benefit.

“That she was cut down in the street by a gunman’s bullet has shocked us to our core. Lyra’s death at the hands of republican paramilitaries is a reminder of the risks that reporters face every day around the world, including here in Northern Ireland. “

The UK is now ranked 33rd in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, which may be surprise to some. Although the UK has made minor improvements in terms of press freedom, Amnesty International still has serious concerns about members of the media being targeted for their work uncovering human rights abuses.

Journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey are facing the prospect of serious charges for their vital work in uncovering police collusion in Northern Ireland. They were arrested on August 31, 2018 in connection with an alleged breach of the Official Secrets Act, relating to confidential documents about the police investigation of the murder of six men in a bar in the village of Loughinisland, County Down, in 1994. Up to 100 police officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Durham Constabulary raided the journalists’ homes and offices, seizing documents and computers, which the men are fighting to have returned. Amnesty International UK is campaigning on their behalf as they remain on bail pending further questioning.

Globally, journalists and media outlets are under increasing attack for their essential work. Concerted international effort is needed to ensure the safety of media workers, and we need to see those who harass or attack them brought to justice.

Turkey continues to use repressive tactics in attempt to end all independent journalism. Turkey is the world’s biggest jailer of journalists with some sentenced to life imprisonment simply for doing their jobs.

Last week, Myanmar’s Supreme Court upheld the conviction and seven-year prison sentence of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. Their cases are not isolated ones as press freedom continues to be curtailed. The rejection of their appeal compounds a grave injustice and illustrates how the authorities will quash independent reporting on the military’s atrocities in Rakhine State – even at the cost of debasing the country’s judicial system.

Lyra McKee’s death is a reminder of the risks that reporters face every day around the world, including close to home and underlines how important it is we protect our journalists and the cherished press freedoms both in this country and around the world.