United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks on journalists all over the world as World Press Freedom Day was commemorated Monday.

“I condemn these murders and insist that the perpetrators are brought to justice. All governments have a duty to protect those who work in the media. This protection must include investigating and prosecuting those who commit crimes against journalists,” Ban said in his World Press Freedom Day message, citing that 77 journalists had been killed on duty last year. The figure includes 32 Filipino journalists killed in the November 23, 2009 Maguindanao massacre.

“These were not high-profile war correspondents, killed in the heat of battle. Most of them worked for small, local publications in peacetime. They were killed for attempting to expose wrongdoing or corruption,” Ban said.

“Far too many journalists exercise their profession in an environment where restrictions on information are the norm, where dealing with pressure, harassment intimidation or even physical assault are all in a day’s work,” added United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) director general Irina Bokova. Ban, meanwhile, slammed strict censorship among the media in some governments as well as intimidation and discrimination.

“We must work to change attitudes and to raise awareness. People have a right to information that affects their lives, and states have a duty to provide this information. Such transparency is essential to good government,” he said.

“The United Nations stands with persecuted journalists and media professionals everywhere. I call on governments, civil society and people around the world to recognize the important work of the media, and to stand up for freedom of information,” he added.

It will be recalled that the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists had named the Philippines as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists following the killing of 57 persons in Maguindanao on November 23, 2009, including 32 journalists. The Maguindanao massacre was condemned by the UN and the international community.

Other countries on the list include Iraq, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Nepal.

Meanwhile, the Arroyo government committed anew to provide a conducive environment for mediamen while assuring them it would exhaust all means to achieve the resolution of the Maguindanao massacre.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Gary Olivar said the government has mobilized all its resources to protect and promote the welfare of journalists in the country.

“We have responded to this lingering problem and that’s why we have created the independent commission on private armies,” he said.

Last January, President Arroyo named retired Court of Appeals Associate Justice Monina Arevalo Zenarosa as head of the independent commission to ensure the dismantling of private armies in Maguindanao and other hot spots in the country before the May 10 elections.

Olivar said that during the stint of the late Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, various media groups, both local and international, were assured of the government’s continued protection of media men and their families.

He made the statement after the Parish-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders released a report on the culture of impunity in the Philippines, especially the killing of 52 journalists since the country’s return to democracy in 1986.

The media watchdog also called on the United Nations to send a team to the Philippines to look into political-related killings, particularly of journalists.

“A culture of impunity reigns, for which the highest government authorities are responsible, that has allowed killers and those who send them to murder so many journalists in every corner of the country,” the Reporters Without Borders said in a statement in its Website. (With a report from Charissa M. Luci)