Amal Clooney appointed UK government's special envoy on media freedom

'Violence against journalists has reached alarming levels globally and we cannot turn a blind eye,' says foreign secretary

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has been appointed the UK Foreign Office's special envoy on media freedom (REUTERS)

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has been appointed as the UK Foreign Office’s special envoy on media freedom, the government has announced.

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said Ms Clooney would work to counter rising violence against journalists and “draconian and outdated laws” being used to hinder the press around the world.

She will also establish and chair a panel of experts to develop legal mechanisms to prevent media abuses.

“Violence against journalists has reached alarming levels globally and we cannot turn a blind eye," Mr Hunt said.

“The media has a crucial role to play in holding the powerful to account. There is no escaping the fact that draconian and outdated laws around the world are being used to restrict the ability of the media to report the truth.

“Amal Clooney’s leading work on human rights means she is ideally placed to ensure this campaign has real impact for journalists and the free societies who depend on their work.”

Ms Clooney said she was “honoured to have been appointed” to the position, for which she will not be paid.

She added: “Through my legal work defending journalists I have seen first-hand the ways in which reporters are being targeted and imprisoned in an effort to silence them and prevent a free media.

“I welcome the UK government’s focus on this issue at a time when journalists are being killed and imprisoned at record levels all over the world and I look forward to working on new legal initiatives that can help to ensure a more effective international response.”

Last year was the deadliest on record for journalists, with 99 killed globally, according to the Foreign Office. Another 348 were detained and 60 were taken hostage by non-state groups, the government said.

More journalists were murdered in reprisal for their reporting in 2018 than died covering war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The announcement of Ms Clooney’s appointment comes ahead of an international conference on media freedom, co-hosted by the British and Canadian governments, in London next week.

But Amnesty International said the UK “needs to address concerns here at home if it is to have credibility as an international champion for media freedom".

It highlighted the case of two Belfast reporters arrested in connection with a documentary exposing collusion between police and loyalist paramilitary killers.

Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK, said: "We welcome the news of Amal Clooney's appointment, and hope it will help ensure the UK government makes a difference for the brave journalists exposing human rights violations around the world.

"Globally, journalists and media outlets are under increasing attack for their vital 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.

"However, the UK needs to address concerns here at home if it is to have credibility as an international champion for media freedom.

"The sinister arrest of journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey - facing the prospect of serious charges simply for their vital work in uncovering police collusion in the Loughinisland massacre in Northern Ireland - leaves us in no doubt that press freedom in the UK is at grave risk."